


Levi Headcanon: Life After War

by sub_bts_smut



Series: Levi x Reader Tea Shop Headcanon ☕️ [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (levi is the brat for once), Aftercare, Anal Play, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blushy Levi, Bondage, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Christmas with Levi, Clingy Levi, Clothed Sex, Crying Kink, Degradation, Disability, Doggy Style, Dom/sub Play, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Levi, Dry Humping, F/M, Face-Sitting, Feeding Levi treats 😩❤️, Femdom, Fluff and Smut, Hair-pulling, Humiliation, Husband Levi, Impact Play, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Levi and Cleaning (Shingeki no Kyojin), Lingerie, Masturbation, Mouth Gags, Oral Sex, Period Sex, Possessiveness, Pregnancy Talk, Protected Sex, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Reader Protecting Levi, Rough Sex, Scratching, Sex Toys, Soft Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Submissive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Suit Kink, Tea shop AU, Vocal Levi, Whips, brat taming, breath play, cupcake prince levi 😭💕, dom!reader, domestic AU, femdom!reader, graphic smut, injuries, light Knife Play, pain play, protective Reader, sub!Levi, thigh riding, tw blood, vanilla sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:14:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 46,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25649377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sub_bts_smut/pseuds/sub_bts_smut
Summary: tea shop au / post-snk plota/n.god appeared to me in a dream and said 'write levi's happy end dammit i hate seeing him suffer' and i said ikr we're not relying on isayama in this household so in that sense: fine i'll do it myself⚔crosspost from tumblr
Relationships: Levi/Reader, Levi/Tea Shop Owner!Reader
Series: Levi x Reader Tea Shop Headcanon ☕️ [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1863055
Comments: 12
Kudos: 113





	1. Preamble — The Cart

**Author's Note:**

> following the [sub!levi hc with a tea shop romance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21973543/chapters/52433590), we’re now exploring how his story continues.
> 
>  **NOTE ON MANGA SPOILERS** ➝ rather safe to read. it’s a decisively alternative story line. the only major thing i incorporate is what everyone knows from the trailer already, his injuries. i’m writing this at a point (july 2020) where the ending is nowhere near published either way. taking liberties with the base material as always, and the focus remains on the couple’s journey. no matter what isayama ends up doing, i bend the plot as follows: we assume that levi survives, the island was severely damaged by a final showdown in some way, and the titans are gone.

Everything is in ruins. The cities, the barracks. Large parts of your home, the majority of your bakery. All you could do was sell your last few breads, collect your money, and sleep on the floor between shattered planks of wood. You never imagined that _not_ seeing Wall Rose or Sina and the far parts of the island without any titans trailing about would worry you. In any other situation, you would have been so relieved. But you can’t be happy because all that is left of Levi remains the cape he gave you the night before he went away. It gives you physical warmth, yes, but leaves you frozen up on the inside.

Entering that state of shock renders you staggering in the streets for nights. All there is — tailor shops and blacksmith huts, razed to the ground, and some other wordless and lost souls with nowhere to go. Where you know Levi’s office once was, everything you find are a large paper bag he always carried his bread in, and his little cravat, all torn to pieces.

One or two former tea shop customers offer you to come to their bunker in Shiganshina, another says you could take an evacuation ship heading far, far away to a safe spot prepared for Paradis citizens. Either you recline, and curl up under your shop counter that stands alone in the middle of several wrecked houses. The rain and nights are terribly cold. Levi’s cape turns out to be your lifesaver, and you cry each time you smell it. He hand-washed it by himself with the best lavender soap he could get his hands on, and said he would return by the time it got dirty so he could wash it again. With the pointed dagger hidden inside the cloth, you both scare away a young military police recruit trying to raid the remnants of your home, and also cut the remaining bread buns under the counter into rations. One you give to the farmer’s daughter Linda Weber from two blocks away, the other fifteen you gnaw on and try to protect from the rain. Most of them are already tough or stale and lost all their soothing taste.

Your body becomes awfully tense with every passing day, and countless persons asking for a sack of wheat from your basement you send away with a heavy heart. The cellar is filled to the brim with rubble and water, leaving all the wheat either crushed or rotten. Once your rations are used up, you manage to buy a box with vegetables and clean water at a market that was set up close to the Reiss Chapel’s ruins. They’re perishables, but get you through several more days.

The set of coins sewn into Levi’s cape you forbid yourself to touch. There’s still something left from your bread sales, and you know that they are meant for something else. You sleep, you freeze, you cry, you roam, try to stack up the tumbled over stones of your oven again to have a fireplace. A black stray cat with fuzzy paws comes to lie down in front of it at dawn, and seems to linger around the block. After you return from the market two days later, the coals and even some of the stones are gone. A few more people have begun to gather in the city because of the available clean water and milk. The wind at night makes you pull Levi’s cape around you even tighter. The stray cat comes to join you under the counter, and snow begins to fall the next day.

In the evening, you carry out the standing water and moldy wheat from the basement with a leaking bucket. Your frame has more troubles carrying the weight, your wrists and upper arms have become much thinner. More snow keeps on falling, and all you can do is prop up the hood of the cape. It gets soaked with the sun close to setting, and the cellar still has water reaching up to your calves in it. The cat already curls up in one of the shelves where you keep your baking spatulas.

You keep on climbing up and down the stairs with the bucket and wheat until you break down in front of the oven where you pile up the rotten sacks. The cape is entirely wet against your hair and back, and the temperatures have long reached below zero. After an hour, your hear a horse cart of the military police clatter down the street, and you pass out before you’re able to draw the dagger. A bunch of _very_ strong hands picks you up and throws you onto the cart, rips the knife out of your hands, and you hear a tough female voice. After passing out again, you only get to open your eyes when the cart has moved on for what feels like five or move blocks.

Only a lantern reveals the other immovable person basically sewn onto the cart right next to you. A blood- and tear-shot eye, a bandaged second one, a mouth tied with bandages equally. Raven black hair, covered with snow that once it seeps into the strands turns red. You realize who it is, and curl against him crying. Levi’s face is bloodied, wet, and ice cold, but it feels warmer than your oven to you. Down from the seat of the cart, right over her shoulder, looks Mikasa with a patched up neck. Levi had tried to persuade her to steer the cart to the market where the people were, but Mikasa called him a dumb geezer and rode through the streets surrounding the former barracks one by one. She knew your house would not be located too far away, nor would you move one inch from the ruins so he would eventually find you. She saw you from far away. There couldn’t be any other person walking around with Captain Levi’s favorite cape on. Having a scarf wrapped around her she knows a thing or two about.

The other end of the town is much noisier. You wake up in a large tent with two bearded men — later turning out to be doctors — trying to pull you out of what you realize is Levi’s hospital bed. Your wrists may be paper thin, but that doesn’t prevent your adrenaline from trying to sock both of them in the nose. After a brief altercation where you go berserk tugging at their white coats to shake them like bags of rye, and Mikasa stoically remarking ‚ _quit trying, boys_ ‘ from another bed in the distance, the doctors release you. Next to Levi is the last place on earth you’ll get pneumonia. Especially if you’re both tucked underneath the biggest, softest blanket you’ve ever seen. The huffing doctors brush off their coats and move on to attend to Mikasa’s neck wound. They grumble and complain to her how you sleep-walked over to Levi’s bed a whooping four times that night. On top of a strangely clingy stray cat making herself a home underneath Levi’s bed, not wanting to leave either. She came along after having hopped onto the cart.

Now is the first time you can look at him in broad daylight. Whoever has beat and slashed him up like that has left Levi completely shelled, on top of him carrying a large facial scar that you assume has been previously inflicted on him. Levi briefly explains what happened, but ends up coughing. A flock of nurses with trays, medicine bottles, and large syringes hurries toward him. However, they do their work fast because you find yourself furiously glowering at one of the older nurses who brusquely undresses and turns Levi around to inject something into his ass way too brutally. Much like the doctors, the nurses soon flee after both you and Levi let out a tirade of highly artisanal, masterfully crafted… curses. Ironically, Levi’s cough magically disappears after him dropping his first f-bomb in days (maybe that one actually did the trick), and you help him dress again. Cozying up underneath the blanket is much better. Hearing Levi’s heartbeat is so much better. Being nose-to-nose is so much better. Speaking words of safety to Levi is so much better.

You’d never think he’d return to you patched up to the last inch. Scratched and stabbed, pulled through the mud. Not even barely standing as you note when Levi crawls out before breakfast to stealthily retrieve the cape. To your anger, from the tent’s bin where a very uninformed doctor must have put it earlier. Levi, equally unamused, hangs it up to finally dry over the chair next to the bed. He vows to pretzel anybody trying to ever take it from you again unless you are the one doing the pretzeling first. Underneath your pillow, he safely stores the dagger. Mikasa had ripped it from your hand in your evening dizziness and — smart she is — stuffed it right back into the cape after you passed out on the cart. She had recognized the heavy piece as Levi’s most treasured knife that Kenny had given him as his first weapon.

With Levi’s walk becoming more stable every day, you spend the rest of the month in the stuffy mobile hospital and wait for news while the town is cleaned up and a few of your smaller belongings faithfully return to you. Among them, a plain oakwood chest with a few coins and your irreplaceable recipe book. But most importantly: A tea cup that Levi had gifted you for your last birthday. With a little golden lining and hand-painted depictions of a rooftop under the moon. You immediately wrap it up in hospital tissue and close it into the chest next to the recipe book. How it didn’t shatter in the ruins remains an absolute mystery. Levi says that it doesn’t surprise him. He knows that everything he’ll ever give you is meant to last. Full fucking stop.

Convincing the doctors of joining your two beds is not difficult in the meantime. The stray cat feels right at home underneath. It laps away at any milk the younger, easily endeared nurses feed it. At your suggestion, you name the cat ‚Kuchel’, noticing the very subtle waviness of her dark hair and her instant affection for the captain. She sometimes jumps onto the duvet to knead her paws against his legs as if mending them, then cleans her fur and sleeps at his feet. Levi, as you can imagine, has nothing against that name after seeing the cat’s behavior indeed being all Kuchel-like. He has a liking for cats, they are neat to him in both senses of the word. And having something remind him of his mom’s gentle spirit is what he needs the most right now next to your presence.

As days pass, Mikasa’s neck is the first to heal. In record time, for that matter. She heads out with the cart to meet up with Historia, returning with good news in the evening: A palace invitation for next week. Meanwhile, you remain glued to Levi who finally gets permission to stand up and access the hospital’s bathroom the following day. Because: Yes. The bandages can come off. Finally. The nurses, again, are left entirely jobless. Levi vigorously scrubs his body’s every pore and leaves the tub water dark pink. How many metric tons of blood he had on him has yet to be trumped. Between worried comments of the doctors, you can soon hear him asking for the sharpest available scalpel in the bathroom. After a brief panic and wild speculation among the nurses, it turns out the room sports a mirror and — Levi wants to shave his hair back into shape. He’s wildly arguing how he can’t walk around with an awkwardly grown-out undercut. It is at that point you know: He’s recovered.

Three days later, you find yourself in one of the palaces’ few intact guest houses by yourself, situated on an embellished couch with Kuchel purring next to you. Surrounded by trinkets, paintings, flowers, goblets, everything to squarely ignore. Instead, removing the tight stitches of the cape’s inlet with the dagger one by one which seemingly takes forever. But the result leaves you utterly shocked. Levi had sewn over fifty coins into the garment, totaling 750 Mark. _(Author’s Note: AOT doesn’t specify details on Eldian money, so true to the name-giving tradition of Isayama I’m using the old German currency. It equals 450 Dollar)_. Your miniature treasure chest brims with even more coins when Levi returns from his day-long audience with the Queen, knee-deep in things to do and a respective budget. He’s exhausted, but happy and healing because he can get moving a little. At this point, nothing betters his condition more than being active.

You remain situated closely to the palace for two weeks after that, Levi being out and about while you take the cart to retrieve more things from your former apartment. Bakery tools, a shelf, most of your basement. You rack it up in a bigger cart that Mikasa has swiftly organized, with a sack of things Levi needs in it already. Even a box of black tea you find in there, on top of a larger sack with coals for an oven. That she is so invested in the two of you being together comes as a surprise to you, but if only you knew. Oh Lord, if only. Mikasa is the first person on this earth who knows of the value of a bond going smoothly. And she finds you sympathetic. She had her fair share of bad blood with Levi, but you?

How easily you wrestled with the two doctors even in your most fragile state has impressed her. How long you survived in the ruins, out at night. That you could’ve shot Zeke into space with one whoop of your baking peel before he could even grow one Beast Titan hair and look at Levi _once_ is like a big duh to her. This guy would have gotten pulverized down to the atom in your flour mill for causing Levi so much trouble. And then, flattened like a pizza dough with one stomp of your baker boots until the flat earthers came running to prove their theory with him as a fossilized specimen. Not one second of hesitation, goddamn. In hindsight, Mikasa wishes she would’ve investigated a lot more in terms of Levi’s tea shop secret to gain an ally. Now she has, and she is glad. Believe it or not: Your behavior has her silently in awe.

How you unapologetically kissed Levi’s face at least twenty times before the lanterns were dimmed at 9PM in the hospital, even more so. She saw all of that. And she heard everything, how Levi speaks when he’s with you. How trusting he is, and balanced. That you do not try to diminish his power for one minute, but also don’t let others stop you. That you can counter Levi’s toilet humor with effortless, needlessly graphic period shit anecdotes has Mikasa mortified for days as well as convinced you are indeed his boss. There was nobody on this island who could hold anything against his ‚why don’t you take a dump and calm down?‘ brand of smack talk until now. Vice versa, you know that Mikasa is already being the MVF, most valuable friend, and that by sheer accident. Which makes it even better.

That she has had her thoughts about you much earlier than meeting your passed out self in the ruins — blatantly shows. That Mikasa wants that type of, ‚ _yeah, I’m showing off my love, i’m making it happen_ ‘ energy in her life to learn from is something you come to realize with time. Even if you think Mikasa is so superior to you in every regard, her interest in how nonchalantly brave you are with romance will make you think again. Sometimes, he wishes she could be like you. Big time. For whatever reason, the Ackermans seem to like you. You promise to yourself not to take it for granted.

After Levi is released from duty, you learn that Historia leaves it up to him where to go now. Mikasa is already busy left and right, leaving only few other tasks to be completed. And even that she catches up with the next day. Setting up tents here, protecting homeless people there, instructing farmers everywhere. What a workhorse. Historia has assured Levi not to take it as an insult in a way that he is not needed. But rather — she knows someone else requires him as she puts it, more. Historia is not a cold or unperceptive queen. All of her predecessors could’ve learned from that. She knows that affection is a very precious thing from her very own experience, and reining that in for the sake of the state has adverse effects.

Rumor has it that Levi Ackerman had someone in his hospital bed that didn’t leave his side for days and acted very protectively of him. The story of the two 6’4 and 6’1 doctors singlehandedly getting their ass kicked and Levi _not_ being said asskicker is the talk of the town. Such news spread lightning fast. And Historia has already observed that Levi acts a bit different — someone has clearly benefitted his state of mind against all the things inflicted on him. Which is nothing short of a miracle. If anything, the recent events would’ve driven Levi into a state of depression, anger, and bitterness with no return. But the opposite happened. Which she really, really enjoys seeing. Especially Levi being unlike his scary self and a bit more lenient in speech and the corners of his mouth rising almost unnoticeably at her mention of ‚Captain, I heard you have family‘.

Knowing what gift he has in his life and how dearly he wished to have more time with you back in the survey corps, Levi will opt for _not_ pursuing his duties. He takes no offense in Historia’s thinking behind that either. He knows he’s not useless by all means. And so, you spend two days talking it over in the guest house. You get cozy at a table, have tea and cake. Kuchel climbs onto Levi’s shoulder, he checks a few times if she doesn’t shed too much hair on him, but doesn’t peel her off his shirt. Instead, Kuchel calmly balances in that very spot like a pro. You’re both too involved in deliberating already.The decision is tough. You will play the possibilities back and forth together. Rebuild life on the island or move? And if yes, where? You will ask yourselves about the chances you have overseas.

The current money, Levi’s status and capabilities, as well as your universally needed bakery skills aren’t location-bound. You’d be able to do it. It’s a long, long conversation. Maybe the longest you’ve had in one go. Levi’s visits at the bakery were restricted to under an hour or just one night, and at the hospital his throat and lungs weren’t entirely over the hump yet. Exchanging with him at such a length is definitely an epiphany. You understand his thinking and motives and values even more so, although his actions have given them away a long, long time ago already. But seeing such a confirmation is good. The way you read him, Levi is all what you see is what you get.

Just like the first time he set foot on that beach, Levi still thinks the sea itself is dangerous. The outside world didn’t have the absolute greatest calling to him, freedom right before him has always been more important. He has fought tooth and nail his entire life to protect the people in this spot. Leaving would feel like abandoning his cause and root. At the end of the day, he needs to be where things are familiar and Historia rules, or at least close by, it’s the purpose of his bloodline and thus has a strong pull he can’t ignore. And, he will always earn some secure money during occasions that Historia needs him so he could actually get back to duties a little later. Somewhere in Marley, who knows how he’d work, even though he knows he could be just as required over there.

Nobody will leave Humanity’s strongest off the hook anyway, he’s far too valuable in the first place. But he is set on having to stay inside a certain range of availability of where he made his vows. Levi will admit that there are good spots to start again on the mainland, but he’d be vastly out of place. Planes and shit? Levi prefers flying with his gear at best. And to hell with stupid clowns. Trying to sell him candy and calling him a kid. That disturbed Levi more than most titans if he’s honest. He wants his tea and get called an adult. He’s decisively anti-modern unless blades are concerned, and Paradis has that kind of low-key civilization until further notice. With a fucked up history all over, and it fucked him up, but it also brought him: You. Levi gets that hint and turn of fate. He tells you that he thinks staying and not ignoring that second chance is the choice he will regret the least.

Meanwhile, your bakery is a pile of debris, but you’re also attached to the place and memories with customers. Even if a lot of memories are terrifying enough because of what the titans have done and left. You promised living in a countryside house to Levi and see the opportunity to have it here regardless. It’s a damn beautiful island without the walls, you strayed around enough to look at the meadows behind the ruins of Wall Maria. Gazing at the sea and sunflower fields is not something that’s not feasible. Linda Weber has told you of the many hills and flowers, the coast. In fact, why not contribute to the reconstruction of Paradis starting with yourself as a couple. Anyone would like responsible Levi Ackerman as their neighbor, and you with a tea shop in the fields. With a place to sell bakery goods, similar as before. A café, the oven at the center of the house, all that jazz you both love. Keeping it consistent. It brought both of you a lot of joy before the situation on the island escalated. Never change a running system. And yes. When you suggest that to him, he serenely nods.

„I’ll build that house for you.“


	2. The Nutshell

He’s serious. However you want it to look like. He’ll do it. The house, the adjacent little shop. Both a little separated, but still a perfect fusion of living and working. And trust me when I say he is a good planner and builder after he got the hang of it. This guy knows how to chop wood and do a clean job. If he gets to build the tea shop and living premises of his dreams, not an inch will be half-assed. He’ll stick to your ideas as accurately as possible. It won’t take a week until you pack your cart with tools, food, and Historia’s permission for Levi to take down a forest of his choice to build a fucking nice home. All by himself because he can. Mikasa sets up a tent to live in for the meantime, Kuchel instinctively maps out the area, the cart’s horse — which you name Kasper —gets a rest in the shade, and you begin to dig a well.

Gotta train your upper arms again because you’ll be back to baking soon. That Levi is very quick with a hammer, saw, and axe is needless to say. He can handle a sword with the precision and power of a machine. Cutting ‚mere‘ wood and hitting every nail from the right angle is quickly learned. That building this himself also means being able to make it a perfectly clean premise motivates him even more.

Two months later, the bulk of the work is done. The winter hits at full force, the timing is perfect. Mikasa sends a box of tea from the palace which you use for a toast. Kasper is fast asleep in his new barn, Kuchel already purrs in her basket near the cracking and puffing oven, and you are all over Levi. After five big hugs — my God, he’ll be super overwhelmed and speechless — you officially break down the tent and move in for Christmas. I don’t have to tell you that Levi outdid himself and found a new hobby in crafting. There’s so much to see and adore.

The front porch is huge, sports a stable roof that withstands a lot of snow, and will burst with green at every corner in spring. Levi still thinks plants are kinda messy and dirt magnets, but if you want them on your porch where the field and wild nature is close-by anyway, he’s not going to argue. You’re the one who takes care of them in the first place. On top of the pot plants and scenic view from there, the porch is equipped with two rocking chairs. They were sold for a few bucks at an antiques store near a former Wall Sheena village, the price massively reduced. One of them had a missing arm rest on its right side and the store practically wanted to get rid of it. The staff was confused by Levi’s determination to get that very chair at all cost.

Levi Ackerman, out of all people, wanting a broken chair. Instead of getting it fixed somewhere, Levi took the wooden piece home as it is and will probably leave it this way for eternity. You knowingly choose it as your place to sit while Levi’s chair is the intact one, with the more whitened patina. Sometimes, the chairs are rocking together by themselves when the sea breeze is strong. The noise helps both of you sleep. The complex why of Levi giving you the chair without an arm remains unspoken but you both know it.

The surrounding sunflower field begins to slowly bloom in April. It borders the low fence that faces toward the inward side of the island. The farmer, Linda’s father, happens to be generous with the noise on his various other fields so your house is mostly a silent retreat except when a lot of customers queue at the shop. Sitting on the porch allows for a wide view on tumultuous cloud formations, eagles parading the sky, or seeing Levi head out on Kasper using the wide trail that leads up to your house. It’s also a good place to roam and think which he often does. The wooden floor of the porch is sanded down so nobody will slip. It doesn’t creak, to your surprise. Levi even ends up crafting a little table just for that very spot. To put two cups of tea down, the one with the gold lining in particular, right between the rocking chairs. Levi knows he’ll become an old man here.Hoping that beside being a dumb geezer (thanks to Mikasa, that’s how he calls himself all the time now), he’ll have the peace and health to be a loving geezer.

Somewhat close to the house, you can access the beach to catch plenty of sun, collect shells, and even have a makeshift barbecue now and then. Levi isn’t the biggest fan because sand is a bitch to clean off anything, and mosquitoes are a special kind of plague in August. You can imagine how they annoy and haunt him, they are basically like a miniature military police. So he doesn’t continuously join, both of you cultivate your portion of alone time very well. He’s happy when you’re happy, always smiling when you’ve just departed over the porch after work with a towel and umbrella. Or, on other days, riding on Kasper to go a longer distance at the shore which is the most beautiful and freeing thing. Levi knows you come back with very salty lips to kiss, he thinks it’s a wondrous thing.

On top of relaxing in the sun, you’ve also taken up a new practical hobby after the first maritime shop opened in Shiganshina. It’s a huge deal. The prices are staggering, the queues are long, but with good reason. Travel between Marley and Paradis has been flourishing as of lately, as well as a larger harbor getting built on the northern side of the island. Rowing and maneuvering your own tiny nutshell is a lot of fun in your free time. As of yet, you didn’t paddle out too far, and keep track of the tide. Levi feels very assured every time he sees you kneading your dough sleeveless, he thinks you definitely need those muscles to row. To you, well, you never even thought about it. Handling your boat comes natural to you, and just as natural is how Mikasa seamlessly becomes your unsurprisingly competent co-captain. It’s good company. You talk a lot about growing up, but also just relax with the waves going back and forth to gently rock the boat.

The little Ackerman rivalries every now and then have a good side to them: Levi starts getting interested in your boat tours as well. Very mysterious. Even though his ingrained cat nature rebels against being on water, you are a bigger priority, and he wants to spend time talking with you, too. Is he jelly like the jam in your pastry? Yes, he is. Is he going to abandon his ways? No, authentic soul he is, Levi won’t. The guy comes along with every safety device he could buy in the boat shop, even a metal whistle. He wants to dump half of his equipment over you until he realizes that you are a great swimmer and the boat does carry a life line with it. Expect a lot of cursing the first couple times you embark. That he is a scaredy-cat you won’t tease him about, he hasn’t learned how to swim until now (you will later instruct him, but he’s already got the gist in two seconds, athletic skinny legend). However, master of any situation he is, Levi’s life vest is always securely in place and he actually begins to catch fish as his own aquatic hobby. Wherever the two of you go, there always seems to emerge a kind of symbiosis.

Fisherman lifestyle is definitely a Levi thing. Of course he’s superb at the execution. The technique vaguely resembles the vertical maneuvering equipment at work if you think about it. No wonder he has an affinity and talent for it. And so, you spend a lot of time at sea. Levi perfecting his fishing skills, and you reading under the umbrella that you set up at the upper end of the boat. The weather is decently reliable. After a couple prawns and miscellanea end up in Levi’s bucket, you always break some bread together in the evening before slowly retreating to the shore. With time, you navigate a little further, and that’s no surprise. Levi’s rowing strength combined with yours makes for the speediest little boat in history, it’s ridiculous. So, in terms of outdoor hobbies, that’s that. Who would have thought you’d ever paddle along the horizon and Levi puts some extremely huge sea bass onto your dinner plate one day.

And dinner atmosphere it will be indeed. Inside, the houses’ walls sport either no or off-white paint, applied to perfection down to the millimeter. There aren’t too many in the first place. Levi, who would’ve guessed, can’t stand the meaning a wall carries with it. Doors and free space dominate the area instead. Most of the rooms appear on the spartan side, but that’s because Levi knows you are a maximalist rather than minimalist in terms of decoration and will fill the empty spots in no time when the bakery is running and you buy stuff downtown. He’ll be correct in his observation. Little photographs, framed recipes, fancy tea cups and cans, ceramics, scallops, tools, and other kitchenware will soon populate your house in every spot. Levi painstakingly dusts everything off but never complains. If you collect tea cups, that’s only right to him. He doesn’t mind using a different one each evening, but he surely has his own favorite cup. The light purple one with a cat painted on it. Coincidence, huh. You got it on an auction in Yalkell for only 6 Mark. Granted, he is very careful and deliberately uses other cups sometimes not to wear his favorite down too much. He takes care of the kitchen’s every corner in general, re-installs its order every day.

The bedroom similarly is a little wholesome heaven devised by your most intricate ideas. You found an old chandelier in the ruins of your bakery, guessing it must have been part of your attic. Levi was just planning to clean it that catastrophe struck only days later. In a way, it had to find its own way out, at the perfect point in time. The black cast iron piece now hangs from the center of the room looking like its age, but nevertheless fulfilling its very purpose and setting the mood. Your aprons, shoes, wardrobe and Levi’s own newly acquired set of clothes are safely stored in large cupboards. His old uniforms are long gone, replaced by clean and minimal cuts in black, blue, and grey that he had tailored downtown. Down to every centimeter of his body, oh my God.

Most of them are like suits and compliment his eyes well in any combination. The high collars are perfectly chic and make Levi look like your vampire boyfriend. Who wouldn’t fall in love even more with him if he walks around like that. As a cherry on top, his hair is even more accurately cut than ever, and we already know how that underlines his face in every regard. The antique, formerly a little crooked bedroom mirror serves as a perfect station for Levi to trim each strand into place pretty much bi-weekly. With actual scissors and clips this time.

Meanwhile, the bed is built out of a large futon-like frame made from birch wood. Levi still has flashbacks of when he had to hide under his mom’s bed, so this one is impossible to crawl under by default. He knows he doesn’t have that kind of life anymore and he wants to really own that. The mattress rests firmly in the spot and cost a fortune. The pillows are quite decently fluffy and always neatly ironed. The dagger doesn’t have much of a reason to rest underneath them and serves as an herb knife for your backyard garden now. Levi often watches you cutting rosemary or basil and loves how gently you do it. He’s never seen someone handle such a dangerous tool with so much tenderness. Of course he wants to be taught how to cut herbs the right way, you don’t have to ask him twice. He’ll do a lot of harvesting jobs in the garden for you, actually. Or prepare something for 5’o’clock tea in the kitchen albeit rather being the one to wash the dishes afterwards. Nevertheless, Levi is the guy tailor-made like his suit for heavy duty stirring and most importantly chopping — chef Levi in a nutshell, working from his #1 forte — and you do the rest; frying, grilling, boiling, and so on.

Now before anyone says this is imbalanced and you do all the work: Wait a minute. You get the fun and creative part. Levi does all the scrubbing no man on the face of this planet enjoys. He will handle the dirty cutlery and utensils with his favorite gloves on, on his stepping stool so he can reach the sink. He also serves the plates and generally functions as a house butler. Levi even helps out at the café as a waiter or after-work cleaner sometimes, which he is literally perfect for. I’m telling ya, your bakery will never get closed because of lacking hygiene. In other words: You do what you do best which is creating the latest delicacies, and he does what he does best which is wielding a mop. Compatibility: Over 9,000. Even cooking together works pretty damn well as a combo. Tell me: Who on this island is better qualified for slicing apples and pears to bits? He’s a fruit ninja, motherfucker. Sous Chef Levi bringing back his knife skills not on the street but for the kitchen is what I’m here for. Of course he loves cooking. Not just the cleaning part. And why wouldn’t Levi want to bake his favorite bread with you? That’s beyond comparison to him. It smells so good, so rich and sour. He used to get it fresh from the counter, but now even right from the oven, straight to his plate. T’is heaven.

He misses your tea shop so much. But this whole set-up is a worthy successor: He’s pretty much living right next to the bakery. Inside of it, if your kitchen counts as such, which it certainly does to him. Beside the bread, by the way… cakes. Cakes! Dream life to Levi is when he can nom the remaining dough from a spatula if it doesn’t have egg in it. You know, makes it easier to clean later on. And Levi, afternoon tea person he is, likes sweet-tasting things just as much as he enjoys pungent or acerbic ones. It’s such an immense luxury to him. These things he never had in the underground, he couldn’t even dare to fantasize about it because all those tarts and pies and chocolate masterpieces were so far away from him.

His teatime was always incomplete because he either had no money or was still extremely frugal later on in the Survey Corps. Even when he was visiting your bakery, some of these things he wouldn’t be courageous or remorseless enough to buy, even if his salary would allow it. Nowadays? He gets one for dinner, specifically made for him. That realization breaks his mind. He will almost find himself declining it out of habit, or because of a very old existential fear that still sticks around sometimes. But then again, the scent will manage to tempt him. And he will not disrespect your efforts in a million years, jot that down. That cake is basically eaten up to the last crumb before you even bake it.

So, yes. He’ll nip at any left-overs from the baking process gratefully, never wasting anything. Even if his hands get a bit sticky, he’d rather have the short inconvenience of washing than throwing something away unnecessarily, especially something created by you. Small he is, Levi patiently waits and peaks at the kitchen counter on his tiptoes until he gets his treat. He’s terribly cute. When you’re baking muffins, he even stores one of them in Kasper’s saddle bags, wrapped in several layers of thin paper so he can munch on it downtown when he’s out and about. A little smooch on the head and off he goes with the horse and his snack. Too. Fucking. Cute. Levi feels like a prince because he has a little cupcake for breakfast. Damn right he is, Levi surely is a cupcake prince to you. Life is beautiful. But we digress: The topic is the bedroom. We’re not finished with that one as you might expect.


	3. The Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let the smut begiiin

So, the mattress was expensive, the pillows are fluffy. The duvet you have adorned with little crocheted squares that came together during dozens of your long conversations with him in the evening, on the porch or the kitchen. The linen for the sheets hasn’t been cheap either, but the splurge has been worth it. Sleeping is a light and airy rest. You can see the sunflowers from your northwest-side window, they feel like protectors when you doze. With that as his new surrounding, Levi’s sleeping habits have undergone a vast improvement in the last two years. He doesn’t wake up nowhere near as often during the night, and sleeps three hours longer, often totaling six. That’s a damn record which in and of itself, ironically, unsettles him every time he wakes up. He’s never slept in a room more neat and beautiful, or next to someone as dear to him, this is something he won’t be able to digest for a long time.

The dark circles under his eyes have begun to fade and his mood is a lot more stable. A speck of dust underneath a chair doesn’t irritate him to preach anymore, he just makes a mental note and gets to it as soon as possible. He knows by now that making everything as clean as it should have been to save his mom’s life won’t bring her back in the first place. In fact, if he is too controlling about cleanliness, he will push away someone who could be that family to him. He also is past the days where he doesn’t want to prove he’s not a filthy underground spawn, the way he’s often been taunted after joining the corps. He’s got a new life so unlike that. And so, he won’t bother you with keeping things in order too much. He knows you’re naturally organized because of your profession already. He doesn’t toss and turn next to you, either. Levi’s nightmares are still with him, but they mix with new, better memories that this bed carries. It’s so unlike the barren room in the former barracks, that he’s crafted your bed by himself really has a different effect.

The amount of sex you’ll have in it is something he won’t lose count of, but you do. That passion won’t die down. Levi is a grateful man and the last person on the island who suffers from having no energy. When he sees you gazing at him a lot during the day, he reads between the lines and seeks to satisfy you in the next best intimate moment. No chances wasted. That’s sexy. Now, I know getting loose walls is a myth. But you sure will have a lot, lot, _lot_ of Ackerdick inside of you, Levi’s gonna make those tight muscles lose their job. Just when things got back to normal — more fucking, and more fucking, fucking all the time. Humanity doesn’t have to be guarded from ugly titan globs or conspiracies and coup d’etats at every corner, Levi has all the time in the world now. That needs an entire condom factory to produce only for him. He uses them religiously so you can tell how 30% of your garbage looks like. Five seconds into undressing: „About time I put it on.“ Like always, he is keeping himself strict, your pussy wet, and no exhaustion can stop him.

Contrary to popular belief, Karma is no bitch, but a good boy. What you have done for Levi by opening the door to your apartment to have a tea for two, he will pay back in orgasms night after night after night after night. He will never forget your hospitality and his care for him, he will never forget how you waited for weeks under the counter, and you will feel it on your whole body. He treats it as duty. Not in a way of, feeling he must do it, but in a way of being very determined to do it properly when you desire him. He will still masturbate in your absence, but mainly not to bother you with his drive when he knows it will be inconvenient later on. He’s pragmatic and dispassionate with this. Levi often — not always, but it’s the norm — manages his urges according to when they’re required. He ignores his arousal when you’re busy and doesn’t seek to intensify it. You’ll often feel bewildered how Levi doesn’t really jerk off out of desperation or for some comforting pleasure like he used to. But the thing is: He doesn’t feel the need to.

He’s expanded his desires in a sense of them serving yours. And it makes sense given how he’s wired. If he has nobody to do something for, he’s feeling mighty messed up. Time and again we’ve seen that. Levi got off enough for the last decades to know himself, and he’s had his share of guilty pleasure through that, even if the love-hate relationship with his libido has brought him trouble. Nowadays, he concludes how it fulfills him much more if he doesn’t waste an otherwise perfect boner that should’ve been meant for you. Especially since you find it more than super hot to get him off yourself, or to instruct him to do it on his own when he’s all spooned against you. The amount of self-control in the hospital bed not to gets handsy with Levi once the bandages came off was the hardest shit. You still love to help him please himself in your arms. His little breathy moans are like music to your ears.

All of that will train him to new heights. Other guys in their forties fall into a slump, Levi is just getting started. Late Bloomer Done Right is what his very eventful biography would be titled. Hands down, seriously. His tiny smile is young and sweet, to you he’s not aged a day in the first place. That his experience has piled up and he’s seen it all only adds to his charm and makes for many an enjoyable hour. You’ll collapse in a puddle of sweat and look at him finding him to be the most beautiful man in the world. And wow, you will be dripping indeed. Levi is an athlete in all regards. There are days when he has nothing but sleeping with you on his mind when the house smells like more freshly baked bread than usual. Sex before breakfast, sex during breakfast, sex for lunch, sex after dinner, thrice for that matter, sex at midnight, sex after midnight. Both shorter and longer rounds depending on what you want. Stamina all the way. I told you he has sex machine potential. Why Levi’s thirst is going through the roof not even he knows, though.

You suspect it’s the security of the new home dropping all his inhibitions. And he’s figured it all out by now. The Acker-Awkwardness is a thing of the past. He just wants to fuck and fuck a little more, this guy is obsessed with being inside of you, a lot more than back then. That includes his tongue, damn right. It’s the second-best thing in the world. You wanna know what the first thing is, I’m aware. Have a good guess. No, tea is in third place, but you estimated well. Cleanliness fourth. Horse riding fifth. Okay, I’ll tell you. Grand reveal: The priorities are your o-face and twitching feet. No use getting it up if you’re not utterly thrilled by it. Levi takes no prisoners with sealing the deal. If you don’t cum all over his dick, it’s not sex. He’ll make this so hot and intimate, you won’t believe he had that inside of him. He’ll suck your breasts and eat you out and make sweet love to you like it’s his calling.

Strong he is, Levi can hold you tight any position you want to try and rides his rhythm for minutes and minutes. Until the damn veins on his neck are showing. A person as controlled as him exploding with lust is so unexpected. The whole ‚pent up but spent up‘ is out the window, he feels a new surge every day and it’s free-flowing desire. You thought that back when he first tasted blood after you took his virginity was almost the maximum of his capabilities. And, that now he’d revert to a balance, back to a certain normal, back to the deadpan and stoicism and his infamously restrained attitude. Oh, no, no. Levi is notoriously primal in nature and has endurance for days, needs to touch your skin and smell your hair, he wants that sweetness in his life.

On some days, he gives up on wearing pants completely and just throws a white bath robe on. Hopping in and out of the little shower next to the patio pretty much, rubbing his hair half-dry and here we go. He gets turned on over the most trivial things you do. If you jokingly pass him while the two of you clean the living room and you tug at his ear to endear him, Levi’s mind begins to spiral. Soft touch does something different with him. That stuff sets him on fire. He can’t even believe it himself. He gets hard because of things like you accidentally or intentionally brushing his back with your arms, and he quickly turns to brush right back as if he’s gotten possessed by a fondling demon. Even when Mikasa comes over during her free time and lifts a set of dumbbells in the garden, Levi will take every opportunity for skinship with you. While you’re brushing your hair, sorting fire wood, clean lamps or make salted caramel. You blink once and you’re already making out against a wall. Has Levi become the very teenager he’s been trying to suppress at the beginning of the relationship? Actually — not quite. You’ll be surprised.

If you come to think about it, he’s always been this way under a certain layer. We don’t know much about Kuchel, but that she held him very tightly as a baby is the number one thing that stuck with him, he has positive memories when it comes to caressing. If you translate her name from German, it means: Kusheru = Kuschel = Cuddle. Are we sure that’s not a glaring message? Granted, he’s not _the_ most confident in asking for specific physical affection and rather tells someone to clean the floor instead for him, acts of service much, we’ve seen it with the squad. But you very well know that he is open to being cheek-to-cheek.

Levi was a highly emotional kid and young adult based very much in his body. That ended up getting channeled into swordsmanship later on. But it was still there, even when he was out there fighting for his life. Battle is where you get touch and closeness, too, in a way. It’s just a severely skewed version of it. Hostility still allows for caress, only stunted. If you ever saw him with his squad from afar, his feedback to them similarly was always — physical. A pat here, a hand on the shoulder there. Subtle. Historia punching him made him giggle and say yeah, grateful, thank you very much, message received, grazie. Don’t tell me Levi hasn’t been touchy-feely all along, and did it whenever he felt affectionate.

His arousal is what drops the heavy guard, that’s how it comes out with less restraint. If you know a thing or two about him, it makes sense. That he’s no longer having a fighting-related outlet and is now with a person he’s severely bonded with, in a secure and stable spot… go figure. After a year of settling or so, and seeing this work out long-term, he will explode with sensuality and hands-on attachment. Levi will secretly feel like he’s losing face or burdening you by becoming needy sometimes, but come on. Who the hell would be bothered by a rare clingy Levi doing his thing. More love is more love. It’s not a bad feat if he wants extra one-on-one time. Levi’s still making every day count and compensates for the time together you lost. He had to go on missions for days and days when your old bakery was still standing, nowadays you’ll never have to fear he’ll be absent or in severe danger. That is relieving.

It gets to show you that once the necessity for his soldier capacities is nonexistent, Levi will choose tea, love and home life over street and combat in nine out of ten cases beside the emergencies once in a blue moon. A lot of people won’t like that Levi is not constantly patrolling around but tugging out giant beet roots in his garden — with his little toe and not breaking a sweat once, what did you think — instead. But Levi likes that. Historia has installed enough security for the remaining criminal energy that’s around, but few really bother doing illegal stuff anyway. Everyone is too involved rebuilding things left and right, everyone gets assigned a task and decent amount of money. Levi knows that acting like a policeman downtown in Trost or the Royal Capital will rather make things hostile than demure if he’s being honest. Speeding through Stohess once a week on his horse suffices to bring some law and order. Sometimes, he still gets a whiff of the thrill when it comes to fighting danger. But Levi, realist he is, knows better, especially when he is too big a calibre for the situation and would only summon more dangerous people trying to provoke him. He has enough of that nuisance and keeps a low profile — but without losing his aura. 

He is well aware he’d be in his element, and it’d have some use for the people of the island. No-brainer. But ending up as some 50 year old gunslinger with outdated catchphrases causing more trouble than actually helping and not making it past those fifties… Not his chosen fate. Given that he’s with you especially. He remembers what happened with Kenny. That still makes him miserable, especially because he’s reaching that age in less than a decade. Levi suddenly sees his uncle from a whole new perspective. Repeating the past is what, at the core of his being, Levi squarely tries to avoid. That every Ackerman spirals into doom the more they fight instead of love he’s already seen. He’d rather search for the root cause of why some people are acting up in the cities than making another bloodbath, and another one, and another one. And the root, that he knows from himself, is having nobody care for oneself.

Now that he is lucky enough to have that utmost luxury, he won’t spoil it. A lot of other people didn’t find their loved ones in the ruins. As I said. He is a grateful man. No bullshit zone. Even with the war having ended, second chances are hard to get in his world. Levi won’t worry you with open wounds to stitch up and worry about. After catching a larger club-wielding gang of thieves being unarmed himself once, he came back home with a black eye and your reaction was more than enough to make Levi’s lawful conviction tumble. It dawned on him that vigilante justice is not his task in this post-titan age, even if he is fully qualified. The old Levi’s neck slasher purpose died with the last titan threat and that’s a bitter pill. However, nothing he can grow out of. He already knows it’s a new path he’s going down.

That’s a process of slow realization. How he did more than just fulfill a fair share of his job, did what he could, and carries himself so naturally by now, nobody dares to crook a finger. Even if Levi is several kilometers away at the other end of the island and very busy in your arms. Which is where the guy belongs, no offense to his sword skills. He still cares about the safety of the people, but he knows he better take care of his own and the well-being in his home first. Motto: The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man can’t do his thing if there is no neighborhood to begin with, and The Friendly Spider isn’t Friendly. He knows he has to let his raw battlefield tone in the ruins. That people don’t become desperate enough to be thieves in the first place is Historia’s territory of concern.

It shouldn’t come as far as him having to clean up other people’s random mess at the danger of ruining his perfect life in the sunflower fields. The cape is yours to feel warm in, not for him to sneak through lairs and backstreet corners. He doesn’t want it back, never. Levi has always been calculating to the right degrees, but now even more so. Last thing he wants to leave as a legacy is you without him just because he felt pressure to carry the whole world on his shoulders all over again. Lessons learned. Levi needs you close, very close. A lot of security. Kindness and your wisdom. The situation has given him the opportunity to change everything for the better. It’s time to tie up any loose ends.

If he returns home from an errand and you’re done cleaning up the bakery shelves behind the counter, he comes along with a large bouquet of red roses. Pokerfaced, but definitely burning up on the inside. Thinking about you all day is his favorite activity when his mind has a spare minute. Those feelings pile up. He’d have you on the kneading table on the spot if he could, put there’s flour scattered there and it’s your working area, so. Fast forward to your bedroom in that regard. But trust me when I say Levi won’t waste any time when it comes to kissing you on sight. Not too French because Captain surely isn’t going for it messy out of nowhere (he got the memo), but definitely heated. He tilts your chin to him with merely thumb and index, goes on to softly indulge you with his bottom lip not leaving yours for what seem to be minutes. He has an intense hunger for it, and he knows you missed him all day. Working by yourself can be a lonely thing. It’s good to have customers or friends around, but Levi’s presence is on an obviously different level. He exudes surety and character. So don’t you worry. He’s still got it. You knew from the start that he’s special, and that only became even clearer over time.

You won’t regret your pick of such a thoroughly stern man, because his occasional passion comes in as a spicy contrast. Keeps it well-rounded. That heat continues unfolding and unfolding and unfolding some more. Slow and steady wins the race. He’ll become a little bit more romantic and sexual with every day. I’ll tell you what that is. Delicious. Once a guy who firmly kept a mental barrier in place to maintain a strong psychological distance, Levi is becoming notably… magnetic. The reaction of random girls on the street when he’s riding to the horseshoer or fetches books from the library for you will be telling. The fawning will be even louder than back in titan days. He’ll go all ‚ _hmph_ ’ and not get it because he personally thinks it’s way too ironic: Since he’s older and scarred, and not working the ODM gear anymore which he knows leaves an impression. But it seems that the girls have picked up on something new about him.

That Levi is exuding something blatantly erotic because he’s opened up to his desires will not go unnoticed. He himself isn’t the most aware. But you are, and his social environment, too. Where his more extroverted female friends would tease him as stuck-up in the past, they’d now say he actually loosened up and got more savvy with conversation in general. That you talk a lot with him next to candle light and tea — blatantly shows. Delighting in Levi’s expected but at the same time unexpected appeal is something all of Levi’s friends and cadets from the palace indirectly congratulate you on. With eyebrow raises and head nods and whatnot. Because I mean… they can sense it. The chemistry and touches give it away when you queue for fresh tomatoes and asparagus in Ragako together. Everybody knows how whipped and determined the Ackerbond can make someone. Not to mention that being together with _the_ Levi himself is like having the most expensive five course menu served to you on a silver plate and it’s on the house. Of course, your customers will try to squeeze all of the details out of you. How’s he like up close? How does he behave? Is he a good lover? How does he talk to you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excuse my friendly neighborhood spiderman reference hhh 😅


	4. The Rope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's talk that talk 👀 my he's freaky.

In the meantime, Mikasa doesn’t even have to ask. She knows Levi and you sleep together whenever possible. You’re devouring him with your eyes all day, how does it not show to others, she thinks. And it does get pretty busy in the bedroom. Since you’re asking, but how is my pussy going to survive that? Humanity’s Horniest launching an Attack on Cervix, hello? I say, first, Levi is out to make you climax, not to scoop out your walls. If there’s one man who knows that a wall better stays where it is, that’s Levi Ackerman.

His goal is to have you feel full with him, yes, but also maximum aroused. The combo of his dick and his hand is a potent one. Dual stimulation is Levi’s surefire method to set off a firework in your system. And yes. As in the past, there are still days where he goes without penetration. The high value of mood, of nuance, of occasion he knows about very well. In daily life, Levi is still the type to storm ahead if there’s a problem to be solved, but when body-related topics are concerned and you light the chandelier… he does those things with a strategy, not reckless abandon and zero thought to it. Levi is no egomaniac. I can’t emphasize enough how far he will go to prioritize a loved one.

That’s a sexy boyfriend thing. Going for your arousal for its own sake. He’s not deaf. The training squads had enough revealing chatter over alcohol back in the day. Levi knows girls like clit stimulation before going to sleep. Not always necessarily orgasmic rubbing, a little stroking and edging is just perfect. He knows sex is not a titan altercation where you gotta target the sensitive spot or thrust in your blade as deep as possible. Deep isn’t a bad thing to him, mind you. But your body is a temple… he’s out to treat it right. It’d be stupid to just ram away in crazy angles for relief in the first place, he’d have to wait until he can go at it again if he’s giving it to you painful, so duh. Levi knows being greedy for raw sex would backfire.

And Levi is aware how being giving will do only good things if he’s doing it right. If you’re not sleeping yet and wait for tiredness to set in, Levi’s left hand between your thighs is just the best way to ease you. His erection he will take care of, the pack of condoms stays where it is under the nightstand (but no worries, they won’t ever catch dust). Instead, the tissues are piling up in the waste. Your pleasure alone is satisfying to him, and he goes to sleep knowing he’s done something to make you feel good, which makes him feel good in return. 

Second, getting you all soaked is his specialty. Expect no uneasy friction, only wet sounds and skin slapping on skin. Guys who go at it all dry Levi brands as the ‚shittiest fools as of yet‘. Oh, his brain cells are so damn big. And he found the spots to trigger it, too. He knows you’re going crazy when he rubs his nose, forehead, and temples against you — anywhere, really — like a cat. Maybe it’s Kuchel’s feline influence. If he adds little licks on top of that, Lord have mercy on you. He observed you like smelling his hair and his neck and his chest, he knows you love to grind against him, he sees you love deep hugs that end as dry humping. Levi’s gift is to analyze physical behavior of himself and someone else. No way he’s not picking up even your most subconscious clues. If you allow him, he will shamelessly exploit literally all of it to have you wet. 

By the time he’s done all of these things in a row, you’ll slip on and off his cock like it’s Christmas and Santa polished the chimney. He’ll sink into you so nice and snug, it’s home. When it comes to wetness, Levi is no clean freak. He sees how it makes for a clean ride, you know. He learned that by analogy after you made a cocoa cake with chocolate melting out of it. Orderly Captain Ackerman was in freezing shock that his plate was getting so messy, but tea shop enthusiast Levi eventually ruled that it’s just such a good feeling on his tongue and perfectly, I say perfectly goes with his black tea. That even blazes through the biggest walls of his frequent self-deprivation. Plus he can’t stand awkward dry fucking where he can’t get a smooth entry, so. Levi will make you his chocolate cake.

Third, oh yes. He figured out meticulous ways to make you relax. But does a lot of deliberately slow caresses down your back, your nape, belly, and legs. He’s seen titans and humans injured… he knows which spots are important. He kisses you all over there and has a pattern to it. Levi works his finger magic between your labia, too. Levi’s the Captain, he can do this all day. But most importantly, just lets his orgasmic voice porn do its thing. Jesus Christ does he sound hot with just half a syllable on his lips already. A simple „Yeah, ma’am“ suffices. If it’s you saying you like his voice, he is flattered and unusually self-conscious. So, him talking to you will have your pussy unclench in no time. Vaginismus? There’s no such thing with this guy under your roof. And — do you honestly think Levi Ackerman will not expand his muscle knowledge to your body, too? He has better anatomical insights than any doctor of his time. This man has been slicing and dicing it up on the battlefield for a decade. He’s seen everything.

Fourth, he is not the type to go overboard in an intimate setting. We’ve seen he likes a lot of romance, he likes sweet things. Levi’s level of mischief is somewhere between 0.1 and 0.2% unless he’s making abnormal titan jokes. He can go pretty damn fast. I mean obviously. Strongest Soldier. He doesn’t have whale dick disease — if he did, he couldn’t parkour through the air without his Ackerpants falling apart like the Eldian monarchy — but he sure as hell could destroy anything and anyone with it. Everybody knows how Levi by his very being makes even few inches turn lethal. In fact, so murderous because of just that, the agility y’know.

Of course he could do exaggerated speed in bed and send you to pound town. To a T. But honestly… in practice, it’d be shallow and in positions where you don’t get a concussion if you’d ever ask him to do it. To which he, by principle and fearing his own power in a wrong place, declines. As a rule of thumb, he likes it intense, sure thing, but simply not disruptive. There’s a difference. Although he can seem like a handful with his megathirst, Levi’s explosive drive is the only selfish thing about his sexual behavior, and that one he does not conjure up, it’s his body doing it. When it comes down to acting things out, he will take good care and only hit the comfortable spots with incredible deliberation. And yes, he can please them well. Levi can give it to you so good.

Does he keep a journal and paperwork on it? Levi knows your guts inside out. He’s not gonna hurt ’em. Kinetic intelligence strikes again. Levi in his essence right there. It’s in everything he is, touching to fighting to fucking. Way of life. He knows where the point of comfort and discomfort is in any situation. Especially the latter, he’s lived every existing extreme there is on this island, and he has been in bitch levels of pain, and saw others endure them equally.

So if there is a speed that he favors if you want him to get those little hips moving, it’s your typical ‚ah fuck’ zone. Somewhere around a medium pace. Safe bet, neither boring nor bruising, and always fun to do. He gets to observe your grip on him and gauge how you feel. It’s the deliberation-centered speed where you know that he really means whatever he says so pornliciously with that voice. On the other hand, you have something to work with. Working up your arousal, that is. If he had a journal indeed, and it would be forward as we know him, Levi would write that you are his favorite guts and he cannot lie. 

He can prolong sex and keep on thrusting, but never to a point of abrasion. If I can assure you of one thing, it’s that Levi won’t be violent and give it to you like a jackhammer for twenty seconds and that’s it. He enters you with a certain caress, a focus, and serenity. Making the ride enjoyable. Not cruel and painful. With his hands all over your erogenous zones, doing everything to make your back arch. You’re his everything, he needs you, he’s concerned with your well-being all the time. His life degenerates to a blazing hell again if you’re not in it.

He’s gonna fuck you in a way where you know you’re precious to him. Treasure you are. And don’t think it’s only him giving all the impulses. We’ve already talked about he doesn’t roll that way. Levi Ackerman is still Paradis’ number one goth boyfriend with a notorious subby streak start to finish. He’ll do anything you say obediently and, even more so, thoroughly. He doesn’t choose the bed over the street without a reason, he won’t let his love for orders go to waste either. Levi can’t provide these pointless suckers with a hot titan date cause he’s the hot date now. That’ll be a newspaper headline at some point, verbatim. All of the island wishes they’d have Levi attend to them like that.

He’s so good in bed. You can do anything with him. Oh my god, the foreplay sixty-nine action is off the charts. If Levi was a gamer in this day and age (obviously, always playing the swordsman), that’d be in his username, unironically. Proud enthusiasts, the both of you. We know how he’s losing his mind every time he gets head. He’s like, oh Christ of the heavens, I am merely an undeserving peasant, a fool before God and the Spirit, but you bestow thy mercy upon me, what do I do. You’ll blow him like it’s his birthday until your lips feel like they swell, and Levi stuffs his face in places the sun will never see. Your throat will feel amazing. His dick just has that gratifying shape. The thickest point in the middle, one and a half tea shop girl fists long, sleek, lately circumcised, short tip, kinda meaty with nice veins under the tight surface am I right. Mmh. And you bet your baker ass he has the tastiest and cleanest cock out there, oh shit.

So that’s really the ideal Levi jr. to have a fuckton of steamy nights with. He was born with it obviously, but it suits him, you know what I wanna say; it’s perfectly Levi. He’s the anti-Berthold — you can actually work with his girth, he’s not gonna get stuck. No big dick problems in this cleanly household. There sure are way larger calibres on the island, but Cap has the advantage of getting hard entirely, consistently, and you wouldn’t trade that for anything else, nor obviously would you exchange Levi even for the most conventionally beautiful man on earth.

He’s equipped for good fucking, not for impressing but falling short during the action part. Nothing would be more annoying than a weird dick bend when Humanity’s Strongest is driving it home. Or him never hitting balls deep, which is the essence of sex with him for God’s sake. If you can’t feel his toned loins (oh… yeah…) and muscular thighs against your ass and the back of your legs, where’s the fun in this.

So. All this chaos. That’s just not Levi culture. Imagine some strange squishy shit like that going down. Or seven random dangly inches on him, super out of proportion. So off. Begone. It’s gotta be compact and straight and stiff like a premium blade. Oh yum. All that quality steel. A reliable knife for Miss Chef de Cuisine is what we wanna have right here. You can imagine he’s built for handjobs, it’s got you invested all night. Everything in place, everything firm. Even the Beast Titan can’t throw rocks as hard. He rests in your palm so well, it’s almost a casting mold. Just because he’s not packing titan size doesn’t mean heicho doesn’t have something hot for you. No-gag-no-friction-factor added. Levi is a Handy Dick Legend, Mister HDL, it’s the new BDE. 

And meanwhile, excuse the tangent, if we’re going back to the 69 discussion. While you got quality to suck, he’s really digging in himself. Right a-fucking-long. Eating you out with his whole body coordination at work. The typical Levi 200% mentality comes out time and again. He feels like such a dirty boy and yet so good and fed. He licks into you with style mixed with fervor. His head is small, that allows for really going in. Somebody’s out to get crushed by your thighs again, huh. This is such a competition and you will lose against his eagerness even at your most energetic. Not a bad way to lose against Levi if you ask me. At one point, the guy will even straight-up forget you’re sucking him off because he’s so immersed.

Did someone see his face for the last 20 minutes? Where’s Levi Ackerman? Send out a message because he went missing! Ugh, Levi can’t help it. He’s ready to get drenched, wow. Drown. This. Bitch. Try not to come challenge: Difficulty Level 8 of 5. He’s gonna push himself and try his best to suffocate in pussy, that fucking masochist. He’s deadass training his breath while going down on you. Since he evidently is indestructible, you can imagine how far he goes.

Which bring us to the juicy part. My, my.

Unlike the other way around, Levi likes you being aggressive. With an immense presence as the cherry on top, he’s addicted to it. We already know where his love for rough handling comes from. He feels so much more this way. And — believe it or not, it’s the final and complete escape from cleanliness. From this phase on, it can get not just dirty, but nasty. It’s true that he became more sensitive being together with you, but that doesn’t erase his interest in tough situations to immerse himself in. He still wants to know how much „this old man can take, hmph“ as he frequently proclaims and that’s such a Levi thing. With lots of horniness comes lots of adrenaline. And lots of juicy pain tolerance, he knows it inside out.

Nothing better than you tying his hands together in front of his chest, teasing his cock with your feet, and then relentlessly fucking it with the full squeeze of your muscles. Eventually, finishing off with a fast handjob that leaves him all red and twitchy. Subs do it better. Objective: Killing his dick with the meanest of overstimulation that makes his heart do somersaults. Levi is bound to finally confess… he can’t get enough of that.

He can’t take it softly. Levi needs it brutal, is all prepared for it. He still can’t keep his mind off the madness, and will probably never be any different. To your advantage. Milking and slapping him around until he cries is undeniably rewarding. He wants to be helpless. Pinned down. Smothered. He craves you sitting on his face as a favorite spot. As if you aren’t breathtaking enough to him, now it gets even better? Sign him up. He gets erect as hell when you’re gyrating down on his tongue until he feels as if his jaw is falling apart. How you’re making sure he gets a good view of your tits from below is like an RIP to Levi’s loverbrain. Even more so, keeping an eye on how his tongue catches every bit of your contractions when you climax.

And I gotta warn you of this freak, I really have to. The certain five days where your regular Paradis couple takes a break are his goddamn favorite ones. I know. If he were any more whipped, he’d draw hearts into his calendar for that very week when nobody’s looking. The hell are you squinting at me, Levi’s had blood all over his face for over three decades almost every day. He wants to keep up his routine, luv. If there’s one person unafraid of the reality and a dip in the crimson sea, it’s him. 

Like he won’t even blink! Red dripping pussy is the best if you are addicted to gore the way he is. Dust mop enthusiast on the surface, but at the end of the day, he loves, even hopelessly depends on getting bloody. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fought the way he did, been in the position he was in, and had as high a hit count. Like hello, it’s only logical. Would be mighty strange if he’d cry and run because of a few red drops. If anything, the opposite happens. Period face-sitting? Walk in the park. That Strongest Soldier title is definitely well-deserved in all areas of life. All these wimps out there could never look at it for a minute let alone swallow. Levi sees this as a boost for his Ackermasculinity. I can do it and you can’t. Throw out your pads, you have a vampire boyfriend to feed. 

Neat he is, no drop goes to waste, he loves licking you clean so much. No, understatement. He gets off on it. Until the next feeding comes, and he can start all over again, it’s endlessly gratuitous. That impulse he can never stop, if something’s bloody he’s gotta take care of business. Besides decking you out with all possible hygiene supplies, Levi survives on red cum and the taste of iron, you can’t convince me otherwise. Your pussy is a royal neck and he is Dracula. Where other people are cowering in fear and disgust, Levi makes hot stuff out of your suffer week and you’re gonna look forward to it because he’s damn fearless. It’s a nice distraction, and you like how gutsy he is. You can imagine how relaxing it is if he gets to work. Some types of cramps can make you want to skip sex, but if Levi offers to massage and gently lick you… Forget pain killers, I subscribe you a dose of 400 mg oral fixation Levi.

He is… something else. And can’t do it normal. Vanilla sex without power exchange, great for him. But him submitting _without_ things getting feral? He never even thought about it. He needs you spanking and choking his soul out, annihilating his face with a throbbing ride that takes his breath alternatingly. He needs his lips and blushy little nose bashed in from so much wet, wet pussy. What more can I say. His poor little mouth. You will also make good use of it in winter.

Now that Marley imports devices and recipes to Paradis, you get your hands on a way to freeze popsicles outside. Levi doesn’t mind getting fed ice cream even when it’s freezing outside. Because first, it’s self-made by you, second, he’s never eaten something like this before, third, he is a heated man all year, and fourth, it gets real naughty. You can get decently far down his throat with the larger popsicles, and he’s getting off on you making him suck it. Since the popsicles have no bend in them, it’s difficult to gobble up but Levi takes that challenge. Nice way to cool off his steamy curses, and it also makes him dangerously cute to look at. So, unsurprisingly, he has a metric ton of talent.

Levi is unafraid and ever the soldier. He’ll take your cum to the eyes, he doesn’t care. Cream his entire face. The man wants to get deliberately dirty once in his life. If he’s at the point where he’s crying out your cum and spit, he’s climaxing, too. Getting dominated is the only instance when he can ever allow himself to be so dirty. That is why he’s so addicted to you ruining him, and a horny mess during the day. Maybe that’s the real reason. The relief of succumbing to extremely filthy deeds being done to him. And they feel good, unlike the dirt of the world outside the frame of your bed. That’s double the motivation for Levi to submit. Fucking is the only way he can play with that fire. Admitting to the nasty things. Getting really disheveled. Levi doesnt survive without a proper hatefuck and domination sex that tests and sullies him every now and then. He craves you handling his little body like a bread dough. Getting slapped around makes him rock hard for an hour. You can corrupt him, he likes it.

Levi enjoys laying down in the afterglow all roughed up and breathless. Sex is the only instance in his life where he can test out being deliberately taken advantage of. He says that to you verbatim and it’s going to shock you. Because abusing him is the last thing you want to do. But he means it in a different way as you will find out. Levi’s flirt with experiencing powerlessness has grown since you first stripped down and you stepped on him. He finds it to be the most fascinating thing to entrust you with.

Now that he has the responsibility of a settled and routined life, even more so. Breaking the seriousness and entering the sweet territory of getting his soul — however, not his cuteness — slapped out… extremely tempting for dear heichō. Reliving the old days is a fine thing, and you being a goddess in flesh to him? He wants to be taken advantage of all day every day, in the best ways. You can tease Levi to your full capacity, he really likes it. The same procedure as every year: He thinks you’re sexy when you’re his boss. It’s an Ackerman thing.

His tenaciousness and ability to take a lot he’ll never lose. Levi will assure and prove you plenty, you know how he is. Even increased levels of beastliness are more than very welcome. Levi’s body is still wired to fighting but the sudden lack of titans has a whole lot of energy with nowhere to go. Since he sure as hell won’t unleash all that extreme power on you or the world, he transmutes it. To a very steadfast sexual threshold that needs constant new provocations, trainings, and tests. He wants to be brought to his knees and brought to beg, brought to crave praise and — you would not believe it — cuddles. Restrained with the ropes fixating every limb. Yes, Levi’s interest in bondage has expanded. What started out as simple knots is now a whole-body artwork.

You’ll be able to tell why he has a lot of appreciation for you being his rigger soon. Think about what defined Levi’s former day-to-day physical experience: Harness. 3D-gear. He’s always been kind of tangled up. And now? Levi’s wearing plain suits and doesn’t sweep and soar and levi-tate through the sordid titan island air anymore. So unusual for his body, all that normal attire and way of living. A little rope restraint where his harness once held everything together so reassuringly… could actually save his day sometimes. Simply because it’s a familiar feeling. 

And that is very important in general. You creating familiar things in Levi’s life so naturally has saved his soul a million times if he’s honest with himself. Baking bread. Shaving and cutting his hair. Brewing tea. Watching the stars with him like he did with Furlan and Isabel. Being his bond. That’s balm for him. He is feeling very lucky. You encompassing so many things of past people he held massively dear is a kind of luck he could’ve never envisioned. And so, of course he has a strong sense of worship for you. Seriously.

His words can be scarce and he’s often staring into the distance, but there will be a lot of moments where you know he adores you. That he, the person who would rather delegate a hassle, built almost every inch of this house with his bare hands is the tip of the iceberg. Even with missing fingers, he could do it. So you know what else he would be capable of.


	5. The Lamps

You love this damn house. A lot of is the perfect translation of your wishes into something very tangible. Levi got a sense for teamwork, this is yet more proof. And on the other hand, so much more is just very Levi. His distinct handwriting. For instance, the windows let nothing in and nothing out. „A bug won’t bug me!“ is Levi’s battle cry. They’re neither too large nor horribly small, just right to get a nice view and sunshine. Natural lighting is very important to him. He grew up in the darkest of rooms and shaded boroughs, was up at night so often only to witness the many terrors of the underground. 

Nowadays, he goes to bed very early because he doesn’t want to stay up past sunset. Candles, candles everywhere in your house. And don’t think that also doesn’t have a tiny romantic reason, actually. From just about every battle tactic meeting in the survey corps back then, Levi knows that candle light makes people get together. And the light is universally flattering. You don’t need it, but he still sort of thinks he does, so that helps his confidence. 

Sometimes, Levi does wish his hand was still intact and his face had been left untouched by the chaos of war. But he has to live with it and certainly deals with the repercussions much better than many other wounded veterans. He’s already used to heavy scars, broken bones, cuts, and deep bruises all over him since his first breath. Forty years and he was never fully healthy and whole. A permanent injury in two places is only one level above that in his mind. He has already thought about the eventuality of it given the default inevitable risk of his former job. To him, it was only a matter of time. 

Humanity’s Strongest is the first one that gets sent out when the biggest threat arrives, even if that threat can outdo him. Ironically, it wasn’t someone else bringing about his injury, but he himself. Levi has accepted that. Very wholeheartedly. Only Levi can beat Levi. But the consequences still weigh heavy on his mind even if he is not a normal veteran but crafted from titan genes that allow higher degrees of recovery. Beside that grooming himself to his former standard of perfection isn’t as possible anymore as he believes, that he is disabled he can live with. Not comfortably, but he can, and Levi has long given up on convenience anyway except when it comes to your bakery. He’s strong enough, he’s agile. Regret and pity he tries not to give in to. But yes, it preoccupies him in another sense. 

Levi wants to be assured he looks good to you. You’d never expect this going through his head so often. He’s walked into your tea shop near the former barracks with a dapper outfit and washed, freshly shaved face, he always showed up at your apartment with every hair in place, no compromises, even when he thought he already wasn’t a conventional beauty. That he’s handsome to you now is still important to his ethic, nothing about that has changed. You’ll tell him a hundred times that his injuries are a different thing than hygiene or cleanliness, but to him, they are. If he feels whole and healthy, he feels he looks nice and acceptable. He said it in his bandaged state, he says it now: That this way, he feels more pathetic than presentable. You know that taking the time for double the affection is very important on those days. 

One part of Levi is still not dead sure he’s liked no matter what. You can’t blame him, he’s been called ugly too many times and his trust has undergone some serious tests and has severe cracks in it. His honesty about how he thinks he looks sounds worryingly jaded sometimes. „Well, I walk around this“ is what he often says in several contexts. You know you have to leave it up to him to wrap his mind about it. That debasing is not the way. Levi is the kind of guy obstinate to getting fixed and that is a good thing. He doesn’t treat you like a free psychiatrist to suck out your energy for the sake of his esteem. He does know he has to wrestle with his own demon by himself. That still won’t prevent you from giving him reassurance. Manipulation to get help and love are two pairs of shoes. What you can freely give you will give, much like Levi will give what he can.

There’s a particular situation where this becomes very apparent. When his face succumbs to envy of young and healthy guys sitting at taverns you frequent, especially when they gaze him up and down with repulsion and obviously have no idea who he is, you sit down on his lap and make it no secret that there’s only one man whose face is at home in your cleavage. Or if it’s less crowded, a sizzling exchange of looks and a kiss is already enough a statement. Your hand is like glue at the back of his head or on his upper thigh all evening. You love touching his hair and muscles in public. You really like to show him off and be a little possessive. Who belongs to whom is a game you enjoy. It’s strangely satisfying for you and Levi alike. All the guys will wish they had a girl like that. But who of them has the guts to ask a woman they genuinely like to get together with them. Levi pities how fearful they really are.

The girls they come to the bar with are all paid or gone the next day. There’s usually only one person in the room at these taverns who has had the courage to go for something serious. And that is the barkeeper who, by virtue of his profession, is a level-headed person. Oh, you thought I’d say Levi is the courageous guy? Come on. What he did to ask you out was beyond mere courage. That was the work of God himself. Levi is not playing in the league of shifty men drinking warm beer in a tavern, what the hell. 

He’s a 5’3 force of nature and his girl bakes the bread of the town. He had an Ackerbond with a blonde mega himbo, that adds a level of bisexual sophistication some common guy simply doesn’t have. You can already judge by how he orders tea without fault. Class act Ackerman 101. That’s where _you_ get a little jealous because he’s drinking someone else’s tea and not yours, but he always has a gnarly critique for their rarely accurate leaf-to-water ratio which you apparently never fabricate when brewing his cup so that’s all right.

Insults about his disability on the street he can shut down fast by cussing them out even more viciously. Nobody has the faintest chance at overpowering Levi in that discipline, don’t even try. And he sure as hell won’t use gloves to hide his missing fingers and cave in to group pressure. They can tease him all they want. Bending over backwards and appeasing is nothing an Ackerman ever does. Even the prosthetic he’ll get customized at the blacksmith he will only wear when he needs it, for riding, gardening. Other people’s yelling and shame tactics have nothing on him. 

But when it comes to the more subtle social clues, Levi is a bit at the mercy of the social game and won’t say no to your support even if he doesn’t care too much about his reputation to strangers. The thing is… It’s the act of you being demonstrative about this that he appreciates. Of course he likes it when you take his hand when you walk on the pavement and vendors stare at it. Or when some old lady at the bakery counter asks if the ‚little boy with the disfigured face’ sitting at his reserved table is really your sweetheart and why, you get mad because Levi 1.) is 44 and 2.) has lost nothing of his prettiness. The scar _is_ something unusual, but it complements his looks. It’s simply part of it.

On the flip side, there will be ambitious girls who know who he is. Plenty, Levi is still in a lot of memories. They not only try to hit on him because of his fame while you’re out to get flour, fruit and vegetables together. They’ll do it so they can say they slept with ‚Island Scarface‘ as they call him. And these types of pick-up-lines and attempts of conquest are reaching insolent levels. Some girls at the taverns are lusting at him saying he’d be good at fingering them with his prosthetic. Others flash their dresses or try to rub themselves against him, try to touch his face. Now Levi has not stepped down from his Humanity’s Strongest status. And how could he, it’s impossible. 

One push and he can send a creep flying to Liberio. But if you’re the one scolding the girls for their harassment and banning them from ever getting to buy your bread again (ouch), Levi really feels better about himself. He smiles at the internal image of you swinging your rolling pin to shoo them out of your tea shop for trying to mess with him. That you defend someone who could defend himself against King Kong and Godzilla at the same time hits different with him. Because, it’s the caring behind that. He can’t help it. He wants to be seen as loved and valued by you and he has every right. 

You make sure you’re not just giving him that assurance when he’s currently getting insulted or encroached on. All else would be a very strange puppeteering. Random acts of indulging him a bit sweeten Levi’s day to no end. Quite literally, because you’re taking some extra time in the tea shop’s backroom to bake a pristine cake for the weekends. Of course it’s a tea-flavored one. Adding the most finely ground leaves to the dough is just perfect and lends a delicious edge. Levi loves it. Waking him up with some sexy time is one thing. But having some food ready puts the cherry on top. If you’re not looking, at best you’re busy working, Levi drops nearly — not totally, he’s still Levi Ackerman — all manners and devours at least two slices in a row. 

He thinks your tea-flavored cake is almost as addictive as your rye bread. In fact, he can’t even decide. Which is an absolute rarity with his decisive mind. If you feed it to him playfully, that very mind will collapse entirely in the first place. He really fucking likes just how intimate that is. Every speck of attention like that he will treasure by writing it into his hidden little diary. You’d never know Levi is the type to do that, and yet he is keen to immortalize your affection. On a bad day or when you’re busy, he secretly rereads it and flashes a lil’ smile.

Make no mistake. Everyone who thinks Levi monopolizes on that attention has not seen him move heaven and earth. He is very circumspect and makes sure everybody treats you right. Still no rude customers at your tea shop, nobody would ever dare. And damn, polite buyers are a blessing and make all the difference. Levi’s influence is something he is very deliberately holding over you like an umbrella. You sure can whack someone with a loaf if they cause trouble. But that would be a waste of bread and easier to prevent by Levi simply having a rep. Now this is just an indirect way he gives you support, we’re not even getting started. When it comes to stepping into action, nobody can reach Levi’s bar. Chore-wise, he has you covered. He washes, irons, sorts, scrubs, dusts, repairs, sweeps, mops, waters, hoses, arranges, varnishes, sprays, paints, digs, polishes, and ventilates the hell out of your house. With time, his cleaning skills have become so fast and efficient, he’s actually content with the result! Hallelujah.

Whenever you feel nauseous, or unwell otherwise, Levi without exception is the one baking bread at 4AM so you can rest until 6:45. Despite his attention to detail and the immense strength that comes in handy for kneading, he is convinced he doesn’t do it as well as you, but the customers hardly notice. Even making pastry he becomes good at. And tea anyway. Picture Levi in a little maid apron being like a butler in your café. He sure makes a good baker and waiter for emergency cases. 

He refuses any pay and instead brings home the dinero in pretty generous amounts from his occasional jobs at Historia’s castle. If there is an assassin protection squad to train… you know who’ll they call. His techniques and advices are never outdated and probably will never be entirely obsolete. Levi doesn’t teach a certain style anyway. He teaches instinct, doing over needless words, and that is successful, and that makes him a royal instructor who is sure to sack in a whole lot of coins. Your guy is paid by the queen herself, let that sink in. 

Your joint expenses look the following: bakery ingredients, cleaning supplies, horse care, food and drink, tavern costs, tax, hygiene, some interior or clothing updates here and there. With a queenly budget, that is not a tough feat to cover. There’s a whole bunch of money left. And no project to save it for together except a very late retirement, because Levi and you couldn’t be happier with where you are. And so… Levi would rather put his cash in your pocket. He thinks you should be able to afford anything. With the amounts he’s giving you, you’re thinking Levi fancies you buying the whole island. But you get his train of thought and use it well. 

For books, better ingredients, plants, a big warm coat. You also give plenty of it to an orphan home. Which Levi looks at with a special kind of sentimentality and heavy agreement. You might also found a bakery guild, not run by you since it swallows a lot of time, but definitely financed. The money doesn’t change your way of life significantly, but it brings you some opportunities which is very appreciated. Levi knows very well that you have ways to use it. He himself, less so. He’s still as simple a man as he was. Even rye bread and tea he doesn’t have to buy anymore, it’s paradise to him. However, like you, he knows that the money is very needed by others. The island is still in recovery. And that brings us to Levi’s most important heart’s desire. 

Just like his house, Levi will clean up his past systematically. Metaphorically, if you will. His drive to do so is unstoppable, and he does it by proxy. Hours and hours he will spend in the underground and organize everything that falls into his hands. Delegate people to where they can work, stop fights, make everyone clean the area in particular. Guide those who want to leave into the cities or the outside world altogether, and instruct those who want to stay. His original plan was to shut the whole place down completely and help the people move, but the populace is damn high and many don’t want to assimilate in the upper ground, are too rooted in the area with their family. 

Which he understands best. And curses himself for the remorse-driven idea to close the underground out of fear, which wouldn’t make things any better but continue the cycle elsewhere. He will empathize quickly again, even if it’s with a bitter feeling or mixed bag. He’ll decide to help more pragmatically, with what he can work with in the area at hand. In the hopes of them choosing to leave later given that the people will hear much more about the upper ground by now, he does his thing.

If they want to remain where they are, at least he has the means and experience to better their circumstances. To bearable, to average, to hopefully much better levels which is a tough task. The underground as a place highly desired to come to is still a far too lofty goal, but Levi does have the money to make some moves there. And he shows a very frequent presence there which he feels is the most important thing. Kenny abandoned him after teaching Levi was no longer necessary and Kenny knew Levi would make it out of this world, which missed the point — Levi wanted a parent who was emotionally there for him and not gone without a word. 

At the end of the day, and this is what Levi will sternly tell you one rainy evening, he would have preferred staying in the underground a much weaker a kid but with a loyal parental figure. Even if Kenny would’ve gone after his business here and there, that he was still around would’ve been the right care Levi needed after his mom’s passing. Not care that involved nothing but fighting skills — that he isn’t ungrateful for, mind you— but care that was all about protective, prolonged presence. Which he has found in you after three decades at last. But he also wants to give presence to people who are like his former self, too. Being _consistently_ around for underground families in need in particularly dangerous areas is a huge passion project of Levi for that very reason. 

And so, he will improve every corner accepting of help. And most importantly, light it up. The underground is still way too dark and dust-infested. More lamps, more clean areas. Levi will whip a whole lot of people in shape in that regard. The finances of the people themselves to maintain all this as their own functioning system are the trickiest part. But given that Paradis’ walls are down and more fertile land is accessible, the resources of the entire place begin to flourish. People who were once confined to a certain area can now mingle with others. Levi makes use of that, knowing how families merging from different districts can pull someone out of a bad situation. He knows it from how your tea shop from another block dragged him out of the misery of the barracks. Visiting you as often as possible he dearly remembers, entering that different world rich with food and flavor, it makes him feel as good as back then.

To Levi, it’s only logical that continuing to encourage the underground youth to work in the cities and fields will have a new generation born under the sun and not below the earth. Many others fear that this won’t work out because the underground people are said to be much rawer in their way of things. Which is partially true given their living circumstances. But he can only puff out a dry grumble at that. He knows how a relationship between a former underground guy and a bakery girl from Stohess works out just fine. Not despite all differences, but because of them. The imperturbable him with a soft heart, and the gentle you with a soul core of steel. He himself adapted well enough in the upper ground to the point of mastering it. He will tell many a frightened little boy and girl that his inborn toughness has even made him trump all adversary in the cities and made people need him, look up to him. He’s been treated like a deity.

Any kid could make it to the upper ground just like him even without the Ackerman blood. He wants to tell the young folk that they are already much stronger than what’s up there and they can use it for good things. With that very thing in mind, Levi even befriends a little boy called Timmy who lives with his grandpa, and regularly pays him a visit. Not just for bringing him buns and coal from your bakery, telling a story about life experience, or showing him a cooking skill. Also, to simply be there as a shoulder. 

So… I’m telling you. There’s nobody who’s qualified better to reform the underground. Levi has to no longer fix an already broken sub-state, the war set everything back to zero which is actually less chaos. There are a lot of opportunities for kids like his former self. Hell, even middle-aged people can still get back on track. Levi was a depressed 40 year old virgin with not one positive thought on his mind and every post-traumatic symptom you could possibly have, and he still emerged from his blues. All it took was a cup of tea and your smile. Not even his eyesight and hand can stop him. Many a regular citizen would think remedying the underground was hopeless, but Levi has a conviction and remains a living proof. Convincing Historia won’t be too difficult, so the respective money is there. 

You will accompany Levi on a myriad of trips to the underground once the major work is done. He is realistic. At the beginning, he’s not going to make you go there to see how miserably he used to live, and get you into unnecessary danger first and foremost. Your bakery biceps isn’t to be underestimated, but still. He doesn’t want to be blue-eyed or reckless with this, a hooded figure is at every corner. Back then he would’ve said: „Join me and don’t complain or stay at home and don’t complain“ but nowadays — Levi is working it out better, and barking at you like mad is against his policy of respect girlfriend juice. He knows that you know his childhood pains already, he doesn’t have to drag you into a dimly lit underground brothel to see how its prostitutes make their living. 

Only when the streets are brighter, emptier, and cleaner, Levi agrees to take you with him. Needless to say, you squeeze as many loafs of spelt bread as possible into your rucksack and the bags attached to Levi’s horse. None of them will be left by the end of the day, you hand them out left and right. If there’s one person who can feed the underground… your bread has bettered Levi’s life to unfathomable degrees, him seeing others receive it and survive and thrive is a hopeful thing that remedies not just many a family, but also something in him. He’ll end up very much enjoying to take you to the underground on his horse once or twice a week.

And just so that we’re clear on this. Riding with him is quite a fantastic feat. 10/10 would recommend. He is so skilled and great with animals in the first place, he knows every meter of the island, and has a knack for predicting the „ _shitty island weather_ “. Sitting on the horse with him is like spooning leading up to aggressive, awkward dry humping when the horse goes fast, you won’t be able to lie about that. Embracing him is very gratuitous. Levi won’t lie either, he likes being held for such a long time. If you trace back and forth for two, three hours and forget time, your backs might ache but you won’t notice it. And God does hear prayers, Levi is getting his long hug for a soothing peace of mind.


	6. The Tavern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're out to find cap's sweet spot 😉

Often enough, you don’t reach home before dawn and choose a bigger tavern to stay overnight. Levi refuses every discount for his Ackerman status bonus and leaves many a tavern owner with a budget to get by. In case they only have beer and wine, you carry a portion of tea in your chest pocket, hot water is usually available. No drunk riding with Levi, no hangovers with Levi — no drunk sex with Levi. Oh yes, you’ll get to the deed soon enough after dinner. I’m telling you. Seeking relief after that much friction against each other while riding is simply the next logical step. Sometimes, you begrudgingly wait a little so the other tavern guests go to sleep. Or, if it’s a very frequented premise with a bar, you sneak up to your room earlier while the partying and drinking is still the very loudest. Levi is mildly pissed by the level of nuisance and mayhem, but has heard the cheers and shanties and loud conversation topics a hundred times so he might as well blend them out and concentrate on your body. The captain knows how to put his mouth to work in literally every spot, so. He has something to focus on for sure.

To no surprise, Levi has grown more sexually confident and knows your pleasure spots inside out. It’s not gonna need much time for him to know and fulfill your wish for that particular night. If you want fingering, you get fingering. If you want thigh riding, here you go. If you want dick, you get dick. From any angle you want. There’s no such thing as Levi being too tired. He won’t doze off. He sleeps five and a half hours in a tavern in the first place. Especially after he visits the underground without you, he doesn’t really rack up the sleep cycles. He gets up early in the morning to clean the room and himself to perfection. But at night, he allows himself to get dirty. You notice that as time goes by, he is less afraid to get spontaneous. Ferociously edging and jerking him off until the point of complete overstimulation would’ve been a no-go at the beginning of your relationship. Now, he wants his own cum all over himself and get teased like hell by you. I’m not saying Levi is getting especially slutty, but… that’s exactly what I’m saying. A full superslut transformation. At such a ripe age. You will be in awe. Damn, Levi.

There are going to be less eventful days in your house where you fear that sex will become boring and routined. Levi has nothing against routine, in fact, he thrives on it. But you need to bake a different bread every now and then. He’s had his face buried in every inch of your body, you tried all positions you could think of, incorporated food, had sex in your garden between sunflowers rather than the bedroom. It’s easy for you to assume you’ll run out of things to try sometime. It’s good to master something by doing it a hundred times, but new things are also needed. And so, as a countermeasure, you ask Levi if you can push his buttons a little more. Or, to be precise, his prostate. You heard that right. He is ready. And not just that. Levi’s little ass is definitely your new thing in general.

He’s not gonna be down for a spanking because he thinks it’s kinda silly, but a whip he can very well befriend. That’s the kind of pain he enjoys. Whips and an Ackerman belong together like Hanji and science, you will realize that sooner rather than later. You won’t use it when you’re sleeping in a tavern, but at home? Free reign. Levi is certainly not a screamer, but the teeth clenching sort. When he’s bent over a table and you go at it with your riding crop, you will receive a vivid physical feedback to get horny over rather than a vocal one. It’s likely he’s requested to be mouth-gagged with a cloth in the first place. His body is pure granite and part titan, he can take a whip stroke in places a normal person can’t and shouldn’t. Much harder, too, for that matter. Levi likes the kind of sting that switches his mind off. The kind of spectacle you will get to see is his twitching muscles and a thin layer of sweat forming on his back. Not to mention that the reflexes of his body are exquisite. He’s arching like you’re watching some fucking A-list ballet and it’s no secret how graceful and expressive yet utterly steely these people are. By the way: You’re asking if Levi can do a split. You’re absolutely right, yes he can. Even an overextended one.

Beside his arch and flexibility. Levi will also dare you to make him cry from pain. Which is a damn hard thing, if not a mission impossible altogether. How Levi’s body reacts to getting pushed to the limit is a iron will emerging. Levi wants you to train and whip that steeliness out of him. He wants you to make him feel vulnerable. Which few men would ever yearn for on this island, but to Levi, it’s something he could never show nor attain nor own up to. Which is why he is magically drawn to you inflicting as many sadistic techniques on him as possible so he can find the trigger. _He needs to know his weak spot._ Besides his love for you. But that one’s already obvious to him and binds his very core being to you faithfully.

At the end of the day, what makes Levi cry turns out to be high levels of name-calling and degradation, and treating him a bit too horribly for your taste. Levi will soon know that you’re not keen to go there fully. What you rather want is him crying because of something sexual and physical, not a deeply emotional abandonment thing where you dismiss and demean him. And so, you keep on experimenting. Where the hell is Levi’s weak spot? His legs are sturdy, his back and chest are pure muscle, his arms are akin to machines. The ass you’ve already explored, it’s pleasurable, but doesn’t make him sob and wince. Cock-and-ball torture probably would get him close. But that isn’t something you’re eager to perform on him either at the expense of your more vanilla moments where Mister Ackerman junior is needed unscathed. It’s really not that easy to find his sensitive areas. You will get Levi’s struggle with his own, never achieved vulnerability. How it’s like being him who is trapped in his own power.

You think and think, and make this sort of like an important treasure hunt. Which is in fact the way out of routine, it really keeps you on your toes for two goddamn months. All day you tease him elsewhere, and even end up keeping a list. You vow to burn it once you found the true weak spot, nobody except you will ever get to know the secret. Until then, you are on fire. You major in Leviology. Everything is tested for sensitivity with several suitable methods. Candle wax, knife play, pinching, clamping, teasing. All of his reactions you learn by heart. Everything gets investigated in depth. His feet? Not too sensitive. His chin? Barely. His ears? Cute, but no critical area. Lashes? Interesting, but also not a really weak spot. Nipples? No tears whatsoever, even when you squeeze them extra hard. Back of the knees? No reflex, he truly is superhuman. Lower back? Very beautiful area on him, and he is sensitive there, but not one tear. Abs? He loves to be caressed and teased, and he reacts, but no more than that. The freaking belly button? Only a little wince. Shit, man.

As a next station, you suspect it’s his neck. It’d be a classic. I mean… Levi has titan DNA. But you can choke the hell out of him without a single tear flowing. He just sweats like mad, gets a big fat blush, and an even harder boner that even two consecutive rides can’t satisfy so you have to make him jerk off. He gets even harder if you use one of his neckties to control his breath. He can’t get enough of that. Oh lordy Lord. Another kink added, but still no tears. Going even more extreme merely turns him on. What to do? After much more and more testing over the course of two weeks, you are finally able to conclude what it is. It happens by accident that you realize how delicate that very area is. You’re sitting on the patio, Levi’s minding his business with his tea cup, you’re immersed in shaving the back and sides of his head. Once you’re done, you go ahead and arrange everything with a bristle brush, all as usual.

Boom — an explosive sound bolts through the air. You look toward the nearby wheat field and realize it is Mister Weber’s new machine from hell: A tractor. Motorized vehicles are vastly useful but still rudimentary on the island these days, and loud as fuck for that matter. It took Mister Weber four monthly farmer salaries to purchase said monster, and Levi really hates it with a passion. The starting noise was disruptive enough for both of you to perk up. You end up scratching Levi with the brush by accident, just half an inch above the ear, close to the temple. If you’ve ever been poked in the scalp with a bristle, even if it doesn’t bleed, you think God has left your chat. And, Jesus Christ indeed — once the pain registers, Levi starts cursing and crying.

Levi’s weak spot is the crown of his head.

DUH.

There’s a reason a lot of work goes into his hair. He wants that area to be particularly under control and clean. To a fault. How interesting. It’s been easy to overpower Levi in the past if he was on the ground and you’d pull at his hair. Mike Zacharias, badass he was, had an easy time pushing Levi’s face into a puddle like that. Levi couldn’t do anything, literally. And nobody would know he’s crying because the water was streaming down his cheeks. Mike made it look like the easiest thing to pin Levi to the ground just like that. And Levi was already pretty swift and strong back then, let that sink in. Who the hell could ever bring him down this way except for the vulnerable spot. Levi also did the same with others because he knows like no other how weak and personal that area is, or he thought they’d feel as sensitive as he did, projecting it because he’s so aptly aware if you will. He pulled Eren’s (in seriousness), Hanji’s (in jest, although it wasn’t exactly pulling), the list goes on. Levi understands: The crown of the head has a special kind of dignity. That area just has a spell on him.

He really takes his time to upkeep it properly, and entrusting the shaving part to you was the biggest deal ever. Among all of his features, his hair gets _the_ most attention, and not just from himself, which puts even more emphasis on it. It’s also what other people know him by because he makes such a fuss around said spot. The nurses in the hospital can tell you a thing or two about it. Levi’s hair is not just hair, it’s pretty fucking holy, it’s something else. Blood on his face he can tolerate, but bloody strands he wants to scrub it off immediately. No discussion. Sensitive scalp? Understatement. Levi is kinda enlightened about that fact and his tears, but secretly facepalms at himself for not realizing it. Every soldier needs to know where he is fragile beside the standard points on the body, so this helps him a lot. And you being you… are out to shamelessly exploit that newly-found revelation after burning your investigation list. Nobody will ever know what spot makes Levi cry like a baby. This is just for you to handle. Levi wants to put his weakness in your hands very eagerly because he knows you will dominate the shit out of him with it.

You have a lot of fun rubbing Levi’s little head between your breasts while having his hair go all over the place. It looks so cute, you’ll have your fun cooing. It picks up your own scent and sweat very easily, too. Even better: Pulling at it makes Levi give you the most pained and pleasured faces, especially when you fuck in front of a mirror. Oh shit, these are new levels of turned on, even more than when you control his breath. He moans how much he needs you to do it brutally, so you go ahead and try even more things out. Finally, the last straw that really makes Levi open the waterworks completely is you going at him with a kitchen knife. Not as in, standard knife play. That is the easiest thing in the world for him. He’s been in more knife fights than you can count. That’s his strongest suit if anything, which defeats the purpose of crying kink obviously. I mean a messy way of hair cutting. Mulan style. Deliberate threatening to chop up of his perfect haircut. A lock here, a strand there, all at random. That’s where he is _very_ vulnerable. Levi is going to beg for your lenience and kiss your feet a thousand times. How you glide the blade over the surface of his hair is making him teary-eyed and shivering already. The knife is pretty dull to begin with so you can’t actually hurt him, but the effect is precisely on point.

If you’re feeling especially humorous and daring, you get your razor and tell him you’ll carve an ‚artful‘ (read: particularly ugly) pattern into his undercut. Maybe even spell out ‚-BRAT-’ in capital letters for the world to see. The nape of his neck sporting a bald spot or even a highly unprofessional ‚decor’ will plunge Levi into a horny crisis. He’ll beg and beg and beg and have a tantrum you’ve never thought he could throw. „You can’t do this to me!“ Which is some sexy shit. Levi whimpering about his hair? Priceless. Levi falling to his knees to plead? The best thing ever. Who would have thought: Humiliation and threats get Levi going when it comes to his signature look. Even if his beloved strands will remain untouched by you, the mere image of you ruining them will have Levi clutch his Ackerpearls for mercy. He’s digging it though. Levi has been prying to find his sweet spot for long.

It’s a little funny if you think about it. The damn haircut is the weak area. But then again: This is what marked his transition to self-defined life, after all. From wildly growing hair without a tinge of taming to fully accurate undercut. That hair has quite a story, doesn’t it. This is a spot he’s treasuring and needs to be okay. You recognize that beside being all kinky with it, there’s something else to attend to next to giving him a regular trim, that is. If it’s so weak, you gotta protect it. And so, every evening on the porch is the ideal opportunity to stroke his hair. Stroking, stroking, more hair stroking. The analogy holds true, oh what a cat guy he is. His little black mane is your lucky charm and extremely relaxing to run through after a long day of working a lot of dough. Because Levi is so small, it’s no huge strain to reach for his head. Try doing that with Jean or something, you’ll get a numb arm after five minutes. But him… Levi is built so well for this. He’ll wordlessly sit and gaze toward the moon, but how he hums with approval every five minutes is all you need to hear.


	7. The Cup

In nights like these at the house where things are calm and you sit quietly, Levi reflects a lot. He’s often fired up during the day, highly active in general. In serenity and looking at you, he has bigger questions on his mind or gets flashbacks to intimate moments. Sometimes, he apologizes for his greed in bed because he fears he’s being too much. You assure him that what he worries about is unfounded. If he would be rough or dismissive of your own pleasure, he probably would be hard to handle and instantly demotivational, that is true. But this way? Levi hasn’t brought you any tribulation, and you will make that very clear to him. His trust built that bridge and he can be more openly caring. Still, you very well know there’s something heavier on his mind than merely that. Levi ends up admitting to you that his body feels like it’s doing his own thing, and bothering him with how much the clock is ticking. He’s trying to ignore it, but that makes his desires even more intense, and he hates that. You understand why. A soldier wants perfect control over his working ground. If your sword suddenly grows its own consciousness and goes against the plan, even flies in another direction, any fighter would be completely bewildered and mad as fuck as to why that’s happening.

Levi also finds his drive even more annoying since he’s already past the ideal age to be a father. He already did the math back and forth. He’s not old King Fritz with a concubine, he’s Levi with the love of his life wanting to do the raising right if he opted for that. At this point, he’d be approaching his late sixties when his son or daughter wouldn’t even be past the teen years. Paradis still isn’t modern civilization like Marley, he’d be knocking on heaven’s door before they even started founding their own life and family. Levi’s potential paternal vigor was at its highest point in his thirties, but that was before he met you. He takes that as an obvious sign from above which he accepts, but it makes him angry that his body hasn’t caught up. Levi feels betrayed by himself which hurts to see. That his kid would grow up without Kuchel ever seeing it would hurt even more.

Of course he’s enjoying sex with you, but a little less horniness sneaking up in him out of nowhere he thinks would be great. You try to comfort Levi at least a little bit by explaining that his body isn’t working against him the way he thinks, but did the only possible thing. Shut down so he could fight for his life and others, and postpone everything else. I’m telling you. Seeing a terribly reeking titan devour a pulp of humans will kill your boner permanently. You’d think your sex drive goes up even more because some kind of species survival fears are kicking in, and the body confuses adrenaline with sexual impulses. But is that really as powerful as the terror of screaming death and such images of gore in your mind? Especially as someone who prizes order and cleanliness above all, why would you wanna fuck if huge smelly creatures of ultimate mayhem are stomping around outside to kill all your friends? Levi, as someone who feels particularly responsible to not just save his own but other’s lives, carries a body that sorted out its priorities very fast.

That is, along with his racing mind giving him no silent minute every night. Other survey corps members would drink or not take it all as seriously because they were new and didn’t lose anyone yet, think of it as the way to heroism and coolness. They’d sure hook up. Especially the extroverts. But Levi, in the prison of his mind where 10,000 lifeless bodies are stacked up, and never drinking? He’d throw himself into work as the only possible coping. To make it even worse, his level of power proportionately altered his levels of distress. You know the expressions of his that mix shock and anger and complete emptiness. Have you ever felt horny while throwing up or severely mourning? Impossible. It doesn’t even occur to you because it’s all blended out. And that’s the same principle with past Levi’s already very messed-with libido versus obliterating the plague of titans. Postponing everything was all his body could do. It’s a miracle that it didn’t shut down his potence forever. If you think about it, the situation very well demanded that. Lust is no calibre against grief.

Both his youth and adolescence were taken from him consecutively in even more ways than that. Of course his inner clock wouldn’t — couldn’t— act normal. He’s suppressed the majority of it for not only days, or weeks, or months. No, decades. His relationship with sex in the underground and survey corps was all screwed up. He’s seen nothing good come out of fucking from what he witnessed in the brothel (himself as such a result included, Levi has crippling levels of self-hate because of this), so this is what he believed would happen again. All he would answer a sexual advance with was a disgusted, furious and mortified face, anticipating guilt of doing something so unclean and dangerous to begin with. The thousand harsh rejections and kicked out flirts were in an unsafe and extremely violent surrounding. That anxious and shut-down Levi from the past is nowhere near as tense anymore. Gladly. He’s got a beautiful home and a tender sweetheart, and no titan knocking at his doors. He’s still severely damaged and his psyche hangs by a thread when something reminds him of Isabel or Erwin, but there are no actual threats around.

Now that he settled, his sex drive took the only viable chance, then, whether he wanted it or not, whether he was broken or not. Now or never. At full force. With added self-centeredness to persuade Levi to give in. Pestering him all night, Levi, Levi, make yourself a little Ackerman baby! Because who knows what the next week brings, another war? Famine, natural disaster? A second wave of titans from elsewhere? Which Levi finds even more illogical and unfair. He’d be sitting in the middle of another spiraling catastrophe with his dream house, his dream life, his dream woman: Entirely pregnant to the max. Just because his dick told him to hurry up as soon as no titan was around anymore. „Shitty irony“ is all he has to say about that and the subtext is clear. How reproductive drive can rage on and on even in the most terrible conditions that are wholly counterproductive to raising new life makes Levi deeply loathe human existence. That very thing ruined his entire life until very recently causing nothing but trouble and that gravely pains the two of you, even if Levi’s ability to endure extremes is beyond superhuman. Maybe because of that even more so since even that could not prevent him from such despair.

He doesn’t want anything to do with that reproduction shit if nothing is really sure and his power is of no use in protecting. Being in the survey corps taught him one thing after all, every next day could be doomsday, and the day after that as well. He wishes he could think about fatherhood a little more and sort out his brain, but that would steal even more time and he knows having a baby isn’t something you can just try out and schedule for a safe time frame. It’s there no matter what. He tried to channel a lot of the unstoppable, ever-cheering, and psychotic-sounding ‚Ackerbaby! Ackerbaby!‘ voice inside his mind into taking care of recruits back then. The indirect way. But the lethal consequence has horrified him even more, and drove him away from being a caregiving figure even if he’d be in a much safer situation to do the same thing now. So, it’s too late. At best, he’s the one so messed up he needs care now, and it already guilts him how much you do for him. You enjoy it, and don’t want him to feel indebted. But for Levi it’s not always easy to accept care because again, he feels undeserving and wishes he could be the one to bring himself fully back on track because he learned to only rely on himself.

He’s also not convinced he’d make a suitable father if he’s so fully traumatized around this whole subject in the first place, to which you realistically agree. Levi doesn’t want to burden you with his messy history around that, the shame of his baby cravings on top of that, and you vice versa don’t want to burden Levi with forcing him to magically change it as if he isn’t trying hard already, really damn hard. He knows and you know that he could show and teach them everything they needed to know, and he’d be reliable as fuck, so that wouldn’t be the problem — it’s not a discussion of self-worth and capability. Rather, a discussion of tragic circumstances and a twisted timeline that has been rigged since the very start.

You yourself are reaching an age where birth could end up being a lot more complicated. The ideal point for your body would’ve been five years before you even met Levi, and that itself is already quite some time ago. Levi is a man of class, he doesn’t date 20 years younger like a weirdo. All that youngin would get from him is not sperm but a distinct ‚brat, you’re way too young for kids‘ in the first place. With probably even more scolding once he realizes that it would mean she wants sex without condoms. Number one Levi pet peeve, case closed. His sterile ass would probably opt for artificial insemination because he’s that distressed about coming inside and the fact that there’s some weird bitter fluid coming out of him in the first place. Levi is still entirely disgusted by that. To go even further: Cynic he is, and a strong advocate for experience, the age he would technically consider ideal for his partner to become a mother is when she can’t have kids anymore. Irony of fate. Think about it, would he give someone with Kuchel’s pregnancy age or someone even younger a child? Forget it.

Meanwhile, the tea shop doesn’t run itself: It’s your life mission, you sure as hell won’t give away that little treasure cave to someone. Or close it completely. Sharing Levi’s money wouldn’t make you feel bad, he has enough of it in the first place. Neither of you lie about depending on each other either. And you’re not running the shop for the money primarily. But it’s all because that’s how you can be needed. There’s not one household on the island that doesn’t need bread. And your household is the number one among that. If the oven sparked a last glimmer and someone else would bake the rye, what brought Levi and you together would be gone. Bread has the most important value in your home.

And so, you do what helps both you and Levi the most which is taking charge of that issue. There are too many heavy emotions and pitfalls to solve it by jumping right into it regardless out of spite. You will end up pep-talking yourself into going about this with a broader view. Taking a step back, you know. You discuss with Levi that what you’d both find rewarding about having a kid might be obtainable in another way. And, what expectations you have around that topic, you know very acutely, can show what is generally missing in your current life. Which doesn’t necessarily need a kid to fill that void, nor should it be under the pressure to do that, and Levi heavily agrees. Being born without being planned the way he was is already a nightmare enough to him even if, without a doubt, Kuchel loved him endlessly and didn’t resent that he was born. But a kid born as a life fix he imagines to be even more haunting. Mind you, Levi is very aware that both of you don’t need that life fix. You literally just built your life to a state where so many deep wishes came true. But situations change and it’s not a mistake to ask for what you could still add as a cherry on top. And so, you put the cards on the table. You’re stripping the issue bare to its very center.

Ladies first. What is important to you is that there is laughter in the house, that your home sweet home has something quirky and audible in it. Someone to really share that joy of your life with. Kuchel is a very cozy and understated cat, Kasper loves to doze, and Levi is taciturn, always highly mature. Which you doubly appreciate since it comes with his sense of can-do, no-nonsense responsibility. All nothing wrong about that, you say to Levi. But a little fun wouldn’t hurt for a change, for good balance. Not trouble-making fun that leaves your china in pieces. Entertaining and youthful fun. Levi is not a crazy af Ackerman like Kenny, he has plenty of underestimated humor, but rather keeps a low profile and never fools around. You thought a kid could stir things up a bit. Levi, however, is perceptive enough to read between the lines of that. And candidly realizes he’s not been the most vocal about his new bliss, although he surely has every reason to be upbeat. He promises to express himself a little more and sees the root problem of why you’d want an extroverted child to amp up the mood. He doesn’t want that task to rest on his child because who knows, it could be as anxious and shy as he was. Needing such a kid to cheer up would be a win-lose situation. Your wish for some upheaval in the home is not a wrong one, but you both agree it’d be trying to subconsciously mold the kid into something it might not be. Especially if it was similar to Levi which would be highly likely. Because being an Ackerman will always show big and blazing, no matter what the DNA is paired with. Levi’s genetics are popping. However, you aren’t jealous. Without those genes, you’d not have the sexiest boyfriend ever. There’s not one day you’d complain. He got all ya need.

You go on to realize you wish for someone adorable to coo over. With the second realization that um, oh well. Cuteness legend Levi Ackerman with his cutie cheeks and cutie legs and cutie pout is sitting right in front of you. He’s already the peak of cuteness. Sexy, baddie cuteness, but still extremely adorable. When he yawns and waddles out of bed in the morning, you fangirl over him in your thoughts every time. You stutter out to Levi that it admittedly doesn’t need a baby for you to have someone cute in your life. You thought you’d offend him by openly praising him for his sweetness — at which he actually chuckles a little. And admits himself that he might have acted grumpy about it to keep up an old facade instead of taking that compliment the way he really wants to. You can call him cute all you want, it’s you, it’s in the privacy of your home, he has nothing against that. Levi is just a little confused sometimes when he’s adored, which is where the actual issue was coming from. Long story short: You are very much allowed to be endeared by him. Easy solution to what you assumed was a huge problem. Interesting what a pregnancy wish can cover up.

Then, Levi has a go at it, and it’s the more difficult part. What he says is important to him is a sense of legacy and making it right. That he feels a drive in him that tries to create a clean, new slate makes it no surprise his libido has been going through the roof. There’s something inside that doesn’t want to make things go to waste. Something lives on, the bloodline continues, fends for itself. What Levi knows about that train of thought is that there’s a desperate hoping it’d all get better and that someone like him doesn’t have to suffer. Someday. Maybe. If the circumstances align for that kid. But if he’s being realistic — which Ackerman had a good life throughout. Circumstances cannot be controlled. The name itself is a disaster magnet in any setting. Not to mention what other people want to use the powers for, or what adversity they can cause instead of solve, ironically. The potential that Levi wishes won’t be wasted is already a twisted one by default. So far, he hasn’t confronted himself about romanticizing his gifts. He thought of himself as a 100% reasonable and decently humble guy who’d never do this. And it’s true that Levi does see reality squarely as it is most of the time, definitely. But if he looks back, he sees that most of what he wants in terms of a legacy is wishful thinking, a spot of delusion, and that makes a world and his self-image collapse.

The first half of his life has been completely, irrevocably butchered. Having at least a little comfort and not titans trying to devour everyone he loves he is entirely new to. Levi knows: You can’t raise a generation at peace with itself when you have the most severe demons to grapple with and don’t know any other way for the most part. And the more you try, the more it spirals from your control. The more you want to grab a bar of soap, the faster it slips through your fingers. Kuchel desired so much for Levi to have a better life and tried her absolute hardest. Her utmost best, wishing him so, so well. But the misery of his blood could only perpetuate itself. He became an orphan, a thug, the sole survivor out of three friends for life, a killing machine, a broken soldier losing his most important anchor in life, and finally, an almost-corpse. If he wouldn’t have wrapped his cape around you, his life would have lost every meaning and the next station would have been six feet under. His mental health has been down the drain since the age of merely 3.

OCD, PTSD, endless days of depression, hate, torture, pain, violence, cynicism, and massacre. The more he climbed out of the underground, the more he screwed himself up, and the situation around him also did. The better it seemingly, supposedly got, the more it deteriorated. You know that, too. Hoping it’d all get better in the future, someday, realized through someone else, is a delusion, especially in a world like this. Instead of creating a legacy that hopefully does it better than him, he knows that he has to be the one not to waste his own potential. Because that he already fulfilled it to its maximum capacity is also a lie. But he has the chance for it now, right in front of him. You are literally right there. So Levi becomes determined to slap the feeling of being undeserving and pathetic out of himself once. And. For. Fucking all. The happiness, the affection, the peace, the protection, the gentleness, the unwavering presence and abundance he would want to give his kid? HE deserves, HE requires. This shouldn’t be anybody else’s blessing, because it’s tailored to and meant for him and him alone. Trying to fulfill his heart’s desire through somebody else while depriving himself of all that healing would be the most heinous crime against himself he’s ever carried out. And it would be an equal crime against that very kid having to be molded into the life, if such an act succeeds in the first place which never fucking happens, that should have been his.

A guy who really should get a kid says changing diapers is the greatest thing, and not, ‚making it right’. Levi succumbs to Mikasa’s effortlessly accurate verdict. Wanting a mini-me to create a happy Levi 2.0 has been the act of who? A misguided old man. Whereas wanting himself to be a happy Levi is what the smart pure-hearted boy in him should have done from the start. And that boy better stop beating himself up because he can make himself happy. Look at this big fucking house in this big fucking flower field, with no damn titan to be seen! Levi can do anything he sets his mind to. If not him, who else? He’s not been equipped with such a godly power for freaking nothing. Levi is a God sent to this earth. He’d be entirely oblivious if he thought he wasn’t. And the most important thing: The very person who really wants to give him that protection and loyalty and happiness for its pure sake is like three feet away from him. The only thing he has to do is be open to take it and not have a second thought about it. He’s worthy of your love, period, end of story. And he will realize that. There’s nothing more to it.

And so, putting the cards on the table has made both of you feel much better about your discussion and Levi’s constant apologies. A lot of what you wished for you thought a kid could offer was already present in your life, or a closer possibility elsewhere. It’d be a lie that being pregnant wouldn’t be quite an experience, Levi would really dedicate himself to you. Hell, he’d be glued to your belly like you stuck to him in the hospital tent. But does it need a kid for him to do that? No. He can pamper you without commencing such a giant project. And seriously. What does the epitome of cleanliness do with a burping mini chaos bomb that goes through 7,000 diapers, crawls around your oven or cranks Levi’s fencing swords out of their cabinet with its awakened power if you don’t have your eyes on it for onesecond, and spills food on your cape without even meaning it. And then, playing with your baking tools, needles and knives because it sure as hell is strong enough to climb and fly anywhere with those genes. Of course this baby can soar, Levi made it! And I swear. This house is the number one toddler danger zone. You'd have to give up your lifestyle and everything you ever did pretty much... entirely. Sewing, coal, weapons, exotic plants, and candles everywhere. Not even the average American has a household this unsafe for a small and curious human.

You’d have nothing against cleanliness chaos per se, but Levi would just be that one guy who faints at the sheer amount of baby mayhem. If you wanna trigger Cap’s OCD and send it into overdrive, put a bored baby with crayons next to him and wait. It could be the most innocent lil thing, Levi would collapse under lacking the essential few sleep hours that he is glad he has finally mastered. You’d have to do all the work which heicho, by the vow of his rowdy clan, simply does not allow. Nor would your sex life continue, in fact it would drop to nil because being all bdsm together with a baby around is just plain frickin weird and your body is gonna be ruined by giving birth to a small size Son-Goku in the first place. So, we conclude that Levi’s horniness is more about the impregnation rather than the raising.

So, really — nothing more to it. Well,… except one thing. After three more years into settling, Levi has changed his mind about a certain something. Oh, you know what it is. You know damn well. He returns from teaching a new flock of royal guard recruits at the castle with an unusually nervous expression. It only takes five minutes until he is done brushing Kasper’s fur and cleaning the barn, not ten as usual. There are still a few customers in the shop, and you’re selling the last few doughnuts and sesame buns. Levi sits down in the café in his favorite spot right next to the counter. Unlike a few years ago, you don’t need to put a reservation label on it anymore. The whole island and literally every tourist from Marley and beyond knows that it’s his table. Your café has long made it into travel recommendation books. He sits, stiffly, with his ironed black suit and standard evening newspaper. The hair: Perfectly cut, but you know he actually ran his hand through it to shake it up a little, having the strands fall into whatever place they fancy.

You have to laugh once he’s making shifty eyes at you over the upper edge of the newspaper. Levi’s adopted the hilarious habit of wiggling his eyebrows in the most fitting moments. His purple tea cup soon finds a way onto the table, nice and steaming, as dark as always, however not as concentrated as back in the day. Levi has no reason not to sleep. With his whole damn face nuzzled into you from one side, and Kuchel doing just that from the other, this is how we roll. He carefully nips at the cup once the steam has subsided a little, picks up the matching silver spoon to stir it. Levi is smiling quite contently at how the scenery on the tea cup unfolds, even though he knows it by heart, every brush stroke of the porcelain paint. A cat sporting a cute white bowtie, playing with a red string of wool. It got all tangled up and the fur goes all over the place, but Levi finds it sweet. The last customers say goodbye and you begin to clear the tables. You also staple Levi’s empty cup onto your tray absent-mindedly. All busy with the eye-fucking, what else is new. He says he’ll be finishing the article on gardening on page 15, very interesting stuff in there. You say all right angel, I’ll be busy in the back.

Then, you carry the plates and cups to the backroom kitchen and begin to hand-wash the spoons. You already suspect something isn’t normal today. First the five minutes, and now this. Levi likes to wash the dishes from the café for you when he gets home. Okay, you say to yourself, he has a new project on his mind. Besides crafting a lot as usual, gardening has really preoccupied Levi over the past three months. He even set up a small metal pavilion between the sunflowers, it’s a perfect place to do picnics in. Now… a big project he does have on his Ackermind indeed. But it’s not gardening and it’s not crafting. That you quickly realize when you see a gold ring resting at the bottom of Levi’s tea cup.


	8. The Three Candles

Obviously— Levi has not read a single word on page 15. He was literally just waiting for the reaction. Which ends up as a very loud squeal, and Levi swaggering into the backroom like it’s nobody’s business. Oh, the smug lil’ guy. He’ll be dirtying his left knee with the flour on the ground, but does he care? Not today. Levi doesn’t need many words to propose to you, it’s exactly how anyone would picture it. Crisp, decisive, unceremonious. He hasn’t practiced some wordy speech because there’s nothing to learn by heart, all he needs to know is whether you want it or not. That you love each other has got to be clear at this point. All it is about will be: Do you want to be Mrs Ackerman? Yes? Here it goes, the ring on your finger. The piece is just how you’d expect it, too. Minimal, in very understated gold, thin and easy in terms of maintenance. Levi knows you’d take it off for baking anyway, so it’s purposely kept light and not something sturdy you could knock someone out with. Of course it fits. Somebody took your hand measurements at night. Oh let me tell you, he was all shaky doing that.

Now, the great question. Why the change of mind? Levi has violently resisted even the mere idea of marriage only a few years ago.

First: The change of his environment did a striking 180. The titan curse that’s been resting on several generations of his is finally — fucking finally! — purged. A better state of mind is what Levi has recently been finding himself in very gladly. The reason to protect himself by cynicism has vanished. He couldn’t have envisioned that in a million years. At this point, he’s no longer wanted dead or alive, or you pose a perfect kidnapping victim. Things on the island are… tame. Extremely tame, orderly, and busy, with good prospects of people not doing any bullshit. His confidence in protecting his little heaven has grown, he’s surrounded by friends who support you. If I were even the slyest of all kidnappers around, I’d still keep my hands off anyone Mikasa Ackerman has befriended unless I wanted to really bamboozle myself. Last time I checked, kidnappers want money, not their ass kicked to a pile of dust by two triggered Ackermans at once. All while a furious guitar solo is blaring in the background, nobody knows where it’s coming from but anyway. They haven’t always had the same goals, but imagine if Levi and Mikasa undividedly joined forces to Acker-sandwich an intruder. In short: You are the safest person in the whole damn world. Levi can wed you without fifty-thousand fears running through his head. Nobody will nor can rain in his parade.

Second: Levi sees the two of you as a unit. He can tell in almost every daily life situation: You belong together. Even by himself, he’s always catching himself thinking: Yeah… I need you now. Something wouldn’t be right to him if he wasn’t your husband in this lifetime. He already acts like one, it’s gotta be a thing by now. Levi has already asked himself why he’s still playing around. That people in your bakery ask about your ‚boyfriend‘ was only the tipping point. Levi knows being a boyfriend doesn't quite encompass what he has with you. He never thought of you as a girlfriend either. That sounds temporary. He’s here to commit and nothing else. Is he gonna sit on his porch at 80 years old to watch his girlfriend pick sunflowers? Or something as neutral-sounding as ‚his partner‘? That’s all kind of strange for him to think about, so he thought it’s now or never, he can’t do his holy-insecurity-Ackerman thing forever. He was never not good enough to have a spouse. You’ve had a very happy life as two for years now, and he’s determined and convinced it goes on just like that. Levi gravitates to titles of responsibility like mad, he wants the duty of a husband and the high bar.

Third: He knows you wish for being part of his line, and he is well aware you are the one to belong there if anything. It’s not the way he thought, him assimilating you, in a way, to be servile. We know the authority in the home isn’t distributed like that. Levi has given you the one-armed chair out of conviction and recognition, and nothing has changed about that. So, win-win situation. And, the thing already is. Levi might look stern and in his own bubble when he’s on his horse, but imperceptive he is not. He hears how the people are calling you. You step into a tavern, there goes the barkeeper — Hello, Mrs Ackerman! You pass a farmer shop — Good morning, Mrs Ackerman! Levi goes to buy new fishing supplies — How is Mrs Ackerman doing with her boat, sir? He feels like the whole world is already there and he’s one step behind. It kind of terrorizes him at every corner. Sometimes he feels mad because people are making too many assumptions about him, and give labels fast to satisfy their need for knowing. What he will admit is that all those people are merely his conscience yelling back at him to tie the damn knot. You have zero problems being called Mrs Ackerman, I mean all you do is smile every time it happens. He’s not a master of social cues, but that one registers. How the hell is Levi gonna ignore that. If the entirety of Paradis goes like ‚Duh’ at the news of his proposal to you or ‚What! I thought you were already married?!‘ and he didn’t catch up… something’s wrong. Not to mention how you don’t correct anybody when they call you this way. He’s not gonna be a stupid geezer again and withhold the role that’s comfortable to you. It doesn’t sit well with him at all how he is suddenly the only person who doesn’t roll with it yet although he should be the damn first person on board. The host being three hours late to his own party? Not on his Ackerlist.

Fourth: He found an adequate way of holding a ceremony. He admits he’s pulled a solo on this and ambushed you with his proposal out of nowhere, but as always. Levi’s taste and organizing talent is impeccable and he knows very well what you want. His timing and idea to make this a thing was never wrong to begin with. Takes a lot of things off your shoulders. Besides, there are still plenty of major things as well as details to decide on together. So. Guess why he did all of this after coming back from the recruit training. Which is in the Royal Palace, remember. Gutsy he is, Levi asked Historia if hosting the after-party in that very spot was possible. Nothing concrete yet, just a question, and Levi didn’t have your yes at that point so that was an experiment. Historia was surely knocked off her throne by Levi’s question. Not because it was quite a demand, but because Levi was straight-up talking love matters. By how everyone outside your home knows him, that’s extremely unheard of. Privacy is key to dear heicho, he was really shy with his relationship publicly. That you were always very forward and openly affectionate with him was a well-known fact. But Levi, on a secret mission to make your wedding a fairytale? Historia has seen a lot of weird stuff in her life, but this caught her off guard.

Which is also very sure to impress you once Levi tells you about the request. Even if you know him privately, it’s still clear to you that Levi shuns most common social customs and runs by his own etiquette all the way. That he’s taking initiative shows you everything you need to know, it’s just like at the start of your relationship again. Levi sees that something is at stake and he won’t half-ass anything here. Of course Historia agreed, that was the greatest idea she received in ages. Food, drink, music, everything provided for, and everything perfectly cleaned. She asserts if the Levi marries his bakery sweetheart (that alone makes her sigh a big ‚aww‘) it’s gonna be an event and he deserves only the best.

Not a finger you shall crook the Queen says, and your fiancé gratefully obeys. Levi has saved this island in a hundred ways, now it’s time the island got his back for once. Historia sees how superb an instructor he is for her palace guard, and how much he really loves you. She thinks that would absolutely be the party of the year and much needed to spread some hope and happiness after such dark times and countless losses. Historia, in short, is already hiring the musicians and preparing her gowns. Nice flex casually renting a whole fucking palace, Levi Ackerman. He’s letting his connections play. But what excites you the most… is that there couldn’t be a more romantic and respectable place. Any church would do, but the palace, and probably the whole island present in it? Means really sealing the deal. Levi comes to remind you there that the palace is ‚only’ meant for the party, which stops you in your tracks. Wait a minute. If the party is in such a place already, what the hell did he envision for the main ceremony, then?

You already fear that your café will stop being a mere tourist attraction but a place of pilgrimage or something. Telling people how sweet Levi is when they ask about him as they often do now is easy, placing 50 orders and posing for portrait paintings is not. Cooly, Levi assures you that he’s not planning to make you a hot celebrity couple. That would go against his reserved nature in the first place. Instead, he says he made another request elsewhere, prior to the request at the palace. Now he’s got you entirely hooked. He goes on detailing how he thought of a more intimate and unusual main ceremony. That sounds very much like your taste, alright. Levi’s idea is to keep the actual wedding a bit more calm and collected and then add the party for the fun part. A little bit of everything. You compliment him on his strategy, that’s two birds with one stone and like a blend of your characters. „So, where did you request the main ceremony, then?“, you ask. Levi briefly states, „the sea“, and pulls out a little pamphlet. You open the scraggly paper and see the red sigil of the new Paradis Harbor. House Boats for Special Occasions, it says in old lettering. Levi really isn’t afraid to do anything, isn’t he.

While you flip through the pamphlet with big, big eyes, Levi excuses the quality of the paper and emphasizes that their renting service is nowhere near as poorly done as their flyer game. You don’t doubt this one bit. Knowing Levi, he has patrolled the harbor for every detail and paraded up and down the quay to inspect everything. The poor staff and sailors were probably rushing to clean their boats to the last inch because they thought Levi was sent by whatever minister from the palace for a check-up. Little did they know Levi was preying on houseboats, good lord. With good reason. It really sounds like a perfect place to be undisturbed for the ceremony, even if the water condition was a bit more vivid (imagine marrying in your nutshell), and settled well for a rendezvous after the party. Levi is pretty fucking clever.

So, how much does it all cost? Nothing! The harbor staff thanked Levi on their knees that he wasn’t actually there to rat someone out. Literally, begging him not to report the little dirt stain on the new ferry boat that just arrived yesterday. Levi was kind of perplexed by their reaction and didn’t know what they were talking about, but anyway. The premise of his choice he instantly gets for free because if Levi Ackerman marries on your rent boat… that promotion itself pays off tenfold. The harbor is still just getting started and can use some publicity. You point out to Levi that the whole no-celebrity-couple schtick was just to appease you, huh. Again, Levi shakes his head. The ceremony itself will be remote with only few guests present. Y’know, the type of wedding where Kuchel can sit in the first row. What the harbor renting service does with his infamous name is their business, as if he could stop them. Getting the boat for free, that’s one hell of an opportunity that stingy Levi won’t dismiss and you say yeah, damn right, and what a good idea. This is gonna be sweet.

And anyway: Even if this is just an initial plan, he’s really thought this through. Lotta effort to make you Mrs Ackerman, you are as honored as he is. The ideas are very considerate of the both of you equally. A dose of tender silence in nature, a dose of socializing, entertainment… perfect. On top of that, it honestly exceeds everything you could have come up with yourself. Levi knows his island and he knows you. A marriage on the sea itself because you love your boat? Brilliant. Perceptive. Outstanding move. An entire palace to celebrate in? The most advanced version for you showing him off. Always the tactician, isn’t he. Beside your own anticipation, coincidentally the suspense surrounding your relationship status is already so high in every town, people are basically throwing that wedding at you and him without a single dime to pay. Levi strangely likes the sound of him and his romance being needed if you will, by others. And that you really, genuinely enjoy what he came up with is important validation. As always: He needs someone to do something for. All that is not even a huge band-aid on his abandonment fears, that’s a whole damn thread that stitches the wound together once and for all.

What’s more? That you can spend your money on a specifically tailored groom’s suit — with a sexy high collar, what did you think — and a lacy fabric you can craft a dress out of makes for a perfectly minimalistic budget plan. Even the invitations are no expense. Historia has agreed to making a royal announcement once the people can save the date sometime in summer. Another reason to tease Levi about his covert celebrity antics, which he justifies with the benefit of pragmatism which he’s actually right about, no objections. His knack for all of this really shows. No stress, no fuss. You can sew and bake a wedding cake to your delight, the rest is taken care of. There’s no need for expensive bouquets in the first place. Like Levi, nature gives you all you need at no cost. Of course all the flower decor will consist of sunflowers, what did you think. Everything about this is so personal, no money could buy it.

During the preparations, you will often kiss Levi on the nose. When he’s sitting at the kitchen table writing something down, or on the patio sorting through a calendar book. Or when he dismounts from the horse after returning from the palace. Just very quickly, a little peck. Sometimes, he casts his eyes down in calmness, patiently waiting for a second one, sometimes he smiles cutely to himself as if he got an actual present. Is that a little blush you’re seeing? Busy farmer Mister Weber, passing the fence at random, hears of the news and says the cheapest weddings are always the ones that happily last indeed. Levi squarely invites him and knows that there is no lack of love to compensate for by a big budget. Secretly, he feels very rewarded that other people are really supporting him with this. And, he is very well one huge closet romantic who wants to be shown off, such a wedding plan doesn’t lie. That you are proud and loud about him makes Levi smiley in front of any crowd. What a sweet baby boy.

The closer the wedding date eventually comes, the more you can see his deeper motivations. Being embedded in a broader social context is more compelling to him than initially assumed. Otherwise, duh, he wouldn’t have gone for a party at the palace. What Levi once called a circus is what actually keeps him going. You and him as part of that bigger picture makes Levi feel a sense of meaning and it promises good memories. Pretty obviously, he’s not staging a party to drink and dance and sing, although others can certainly do that there if it brings them joy. He’s doing it because he likes being seen with you as a full-fledged pair. It really affects him. „Oh, there’s Levi, look, he has someone“ is balm to his ears. It’s a sweet confirmation to something he already knows. That he finally belongs. For a much longer time, in a much better life that doesn’t kick his dignity to the ground and makes him suffer the entire day. Something about this whole wedding thing… mends his heart.

The big day begins with almond vanilla tea and macarons on a wooden tray, placed on the bedstand. It is the cup with a little golden lining and hand-painted depictions of a rooftop under the moon. Levi took the liberty to use one of your linen aprons to prepare and serve the tray, and already looks mighty styled. Every hair in place, the garments crisp, pants… very attractively tight. If that’s his morning look already, how the hell does his groom ensemble look like. He asks if you’re ready for the day and if the tea is right. With your cup in hand, Kuchel purring on your lap, the sunflowers smiling through the window, and Levi love on your mind — you don’t even have to think to nod.

Levi takes up great efforts to help you put on the dress. Every button at your back: Neatly in place. Each drape: Painstakingly arranged. All the oversized lace patterns line up around you how you intended them to. It’s a Mediterranean type of dress that you could hang on the branch of an olive tree and watch swaying in the wind for hours. Levi is concentrated. He puts on your stockings, your shoes, your veil, your necklace. You don’t have to crook as much as a single finger and he insists on it. If you’re looking good for him, he wants to be deserving of it and not have you break a sweat for just about anything. He doesn’t care about a surprise reveal either, he’s seen you sew it all and picked up the needles from the ground. That he’s the one to pull a surprise reveal — much more important. Levi’s not naïve. He’s the biggest trophy husband of all time. Like, on such a fine day, which lucky devil ever gets to marry Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. Who makes one hell of a spouse. So: He wants to act like it. Already aiming to be that kind of husband. He retreats after finishing his duty, and Mikasa joins to braid your hair instead. She gifts you a little boat-shaped brooch that you can put on the cape to make it close in the front. Especially in winter, that comes in handy.

Unsurprisingly, Levi takes twice as long as you do. Mikasa has already left and prepared the horse for you that he steps out of the bathroom. Heart attack. Why aren’t sunglasses invented on this island yet? He’s so shiny. Levi appears akin to a retired general with any accolade you could come up with. Which, if you think about it, he kind of is. Even Napoleon would’ve fainted at Levi’s expert level wedding stunner that is his double-breasted suit. The accuracy of every thread. The shoulders sharp, the lapel subtly pin-striped. Sleek hair, side-parted, black as the night. Gomez Addams junior. Oh, what a handsome motherfucker, and the great skin, oh God. Meanwhile, all the accessories are customized. Polished black shoes with satin laces, an embroidered golden collar, imported Bergamotte perfume that smells… very arousing. A work of art. Levi’s still that bitch. Riding the horse to town while hugging him from behind so closely is gonna be, well, um. It’s not easy if your fiancé is such a princely guy, let’s just say that.

The houseboat is calm on the water. With a large roof, made of all dark wood, with decent outdoor space to stand for a ceremony. Like muses, no, actual goddesses, Historia, Mikasa and Linda await you in shimmering dresses. Grey, turquoise, and light blue, almost merging with the waves. You can tell Mikasa was the one to suggest the theme. She even let her hair be curly today. After going aboard, Historia commences a little speech Levi gave to her in advance. It gets a little tearful as it happens to be a detailing on how you gave a place of shelter in Levi’s miserable life and changed it for the better. He expresses his gratitude and the speech ends with a strong statement on how he won’t just promise anything by word but by action. And so, saying yes, Levi puts double the emphasis into the way he holds you, the way he looks at you. It’s beautiful how the waves reflect in the grey of his eyes. You can’t tell whether he’s mesmerized by you or you by him. The truth is always — both is the case.

The ring exchange Levi couldn’t do any more skillfully, and the kiss transports you right into heaven. You have to check if he’s not sprouting wings already, save the invisible wings of freedom that are always on his back, that is. Historia closes the ceremony, but before Levi thinks it’s time to return to the harbor, you reveal a wedding present to him. Mikasa had carried it along for you, safely wrapped inside a wooden chest. Levi doesn’t even have to open it that he already recognizes the scent. The chest entails a long white lapel coat that Kuchel was always wearing during fall and wintertime.

Three days before the wedding while Levi was busy in the palace with his trainees, you borrowed Mikasa’s horse and sped through the alleys where you knew the brothel had been. Something was pulling you towards the place, you couldn’t pinpoint it first. But you knew there was something to search and find. Levi would avoid this area more often than not, but that didn’t stop you from going there by yourself. Lord knows how many people you asked until you found Flora Heine, a now 72-year old woman who worked on the same floor as Kuchel. Luckily enough, she could point you toward a ruin where some of Kuchel’s belongings had ended up after thieves plundered the brothel. Young Levi had been with Kenny at this point, already on the street. Flora was right that the ruin was a lair, an abandoned one for that matter. The only things you found were men’s shoes, dusty bottles, ripped curtains, and said chest. The coat was grey rather than white and had at least five holes in it. Flora helped you wash the cotton with very mild soap and identified the garment as indeed being Kuchel’s. You were so moved, you couldn’t say a thing for five minutes and fell to your knees. Only a few hours later, you managed to stitch up the holes sitting in your patio and had Mikasa take a look inside the box, too. It definitely made her stare and think. Another small piece in the puzzle of the Ackerman family history.

Deliberating on the porch whether to give Levi the coat right away, unceremoniously, or to make it a special present was cut short by Mister Weber’s unequivocal „This is the most important wedding gift in Eldian history!“ spoken in heavy farmer slang over the fence. Said revelation coming out of literal nowhere almost sounded like God speaking directly to you until you saw it was Mister Weber with his bag of seeds and straw hat wandering past your house, already busy with something else. One random comment and he was gone. This guy was funny. At least you could trust he wouldn’t say anything to Levi by accident. Mikasa promptly stuffed the box under her jacket and rode off like a bullet train, promising to guard the coat with her life for the next three days. You ventilated the entire house at least four times so the characteristic smell of the garment was gone. That Levi could recognize it immediately was entirely correct.

At least one chocolate cake and two bread loafs wandered in and out of the kitchen oven that evening, having a returning Levi lovedrunk the second he entered the house. Usually, you prohibited yourself from using bread for manipulation purposes, but this was an emergency and justified distraction technique. The coat really did not lose its scent after washing, so it needed a triple carb dose of making Levi too stoned to notice. It worked, but had him cling to you all evening and night. You didn’t complain, though. Levi ate properly, slept properly, had a generous breakfast after cutting off a giant slice from the remaining loaf he devoured the day before. And he was so cute when he was cuddly, a true soft sight to behold. Whether it was the bread or the lingering scent of the coat in your own clothing that he was still picking up without noticing was hard to discern. In her Shiganshina house, Mikasa slept with the box under her bed and held two of her giant daggers in each fist for two nights in the meantime, until sneaking it to the houseboat for the ceremony eventually. Where it turns out to be just what Mr. Weber said.

Levi’s reaction is the more extreme version of yours. He stops and freezes without even needing to lift the coat out of the chest. He knows it inside out by merely seeing a fraction of its fabric. All systems on red alert, his heartbeat is throbbing inside his head. Levi looks as if he could pass out on the spot and gets noticeably pale. No words, just an open mouth. He stares and stares until tears start welling up. You haven’t seen Levi cry in, shit, six months or more. Historia and Linda are entirely taken aback while Mikasa looks similarly sentimental. With the utmost care, you take the coat from the chest yourself, unfold it, then splay the fabric over his shoulders. „Fall time’s around soon,“ you say. „You need a cape, too. I don’t want my husband getting cold.“

Given how tall Kuchel was, the coat touches Levi’s ankles. It’s huge on him. He is well-protected in it, and the former holes barely show. A very emotional little captain looks at you from the garment, who chokes out a promise to never make it dirty. You pass on to him the well wishes of Flora Heine who told you how Kuchel had always wished for her son to live happily in the upper ground. Levi is already determined to visit Flora for some very important questions on a day where he has some more free time. Which Historia promises to grant him this very week. The winter coat seems to be the only remaining item of Kuchel’s room, but memories and stories are just as important to him, even through second or third-hand witnesses.

He never dared to investigate around the brothel, scared of what he would find, but your brave ride has proven him otherwise. Levi never wants to let go of the coat and would probably wear it for the entire day if Mikasa didn’t call him a rusty bag of bones again and appealed to his common sense given that it was August and scorching. She is right, Levi is understandably grumbling, you carefully fold the coat into the box again. After you remind your husband of the party going down later, where just about anyone could spill red wine onto the white fabric, he sees the point and he takes the box under his arm. Carrying it as if the finest china was in there, my God. In the meantime, the boat has slowly returned to the harbor — Historia congratulates the two of you and says she looks forward to the very eventful celebration.

But before you head to the palace, Levi and you visit another, entirely different station. You were the one to suggest it as your part of the wedding plan, and he incorporated it without pretty much changing a single thing. That also helps to ride into another direction, which means to avoid having to steer an easily frightened Kasper through the masses waiting and waving at the harbor as the houseboat approaches its dock. The ride is not a far one, nor is it unfamiliar. The opposite is the case. To visit the Underground City’s north-side slums before entering the palace just feels… deeply right. Proposing this to Levi struck a bell in him, much more than you can imagine. As part of the plan, you ride towards the run-down chapel close to a little hut at the outskirts of the town where Kuchel had given birth to Levi over forty years ago. The stone walls are eroded and the roof is gone, but the main tower with the bell in it remains firmly standing.

Entering the sacred ground, you feel like crying and Levi does have to wipe a few tears from your chin with his sleeve. Kasper waits on the outside while you cross through the ruin. At the very back of the chapel, you light three candles, one of them for Kuchel with which you ask for permission to be with her son as a wife and promise to treat him well. The second candle you dedicate to Kenny for teaching Levi everything he needed to know to survive in this world, and lay down a bundle of rosemary from your garden, cut with Levi’s first knife. The third candle, Levi lights by himself while you saddle up outside. Next to it, he lays down a splinter that fell off the one-armed chair this very morning, pretty much right before his feet.

Before you both ride towards the upper ground again, you briefly visit a nearby house. It is Timmy’s who, alerted by the familiar hooves noises, runs out of his hut to immediately admire your gowns with huge eyes. He says he wants to be like Levi with a cottage at the shore when he grows up. You leave him a loaf of rye bread, and he feeds Kasper a bunch of hay while petting him. It seems to calm the horse quite a lot, and Levi departs with you saying that he ordered Historia to distribute a sack of wheat each family in the slums by skipping one of his recruit training salaries in exchange. Timmy's grandfather promises to send his protégée to work at the Weber’s farm nearby the sunflower fields next year when he is old enough. He himself can’t walk properly because of a leg condition, but his grandson is both eager and very agile. Levi reaches down from the horse to pat the boy’s head and says he’ll show Timmy his house in the sunflower field by then. In the chapel, three candles burn side by side, and will do for many hours. You head back hugging Levi tightly during the ride toward the palace.

  
The people gathered at the palace doors greet you with banners and rose petals. Inside, the party begins with a furious spectacle. A large circle of guests has formed in the main ballroom where a row of traditional drummers marches up. Stern, bulky figures, carrying their instruments with copper-plaited belts. A veiled figure parts through the crowd, clothed entirely in red. The muscular silhouette carries a large golden sheath that draws loud ‚oohs’ and ‚ahhs’ from the audience. The performer moves swiftly to the center of the room, secure in step. It’s immediately visible — it’s an experienced warrior. The drummers commence a heavy, rhythmic piece and the veiled figure draws the antique blade hidden in the sheath.

What follows is the most superb sword dance you have ever seen. The fluid movement, the sharp edges in the prancing style, like a spinning dragon in fury, just marvelous. And so exhausting: Every movement so powerful, the air audibly cuts. All while seeing not a single thing, as the ferocious performer’s face stays veiled until the very last beat. Not once does the silhouette trail from its balance throughout the choreography, and a fiery applause deservedly concludes the display. The drums cease, the figure slowly lifts the fabric mask — it is Mikasa, breathing hard, but smiling contently to herself.

The guests are thoroughly excited, jump and cheer. All the guys freak out and are ready to volunteer to get sliced in half themselves. Mikasa sheaths the sword with a natural sovereignty and bows before leaving the stage. You can tell she practiced all day and night for this. The day right after Levi first suggested the party in the castle, you had asked Mikasa to open the evening for you with a little athletic show. The whole island and palace practically run the way they do because of her errands, and she has been the right kind of friend by your side for quite some time now.

After the applause ends, you recall to the crowd how Mikasa stubbornly rode the cart through the streets close to the barracks and picked you up short before freezing to death. Few people in the audience have ever heard about this. Everyone knows the hospital story where you confronted the doctors, but not this one. Mikasa has not once bragged about being the one without whom this couple would’ve never made it, which you really emphasize in your little speech. More applause, and a silver-clad Historia descends from her elevated place to award Mikasa a medal of honor. Levi is one of the loudest to clap right next to you, and you can tell that on the inside, he’s still the proud squad captain from back then.

The buffet is hereby opened, and it includes the finest of your bakery goods. The tea-flavored wedding cake at its very center sports a 4-member family made from caramel at its very top. Cupcake prince Levi, biceps bakery girl, cozy cat Kuchel and the reliable Kasper, pictured munching on a sunflower. This shit took you three days to complete, and you hope what follows will work out seamlessly. And indeed: Levi, cool as a cucumber, expertly splits the cake into the neatest portions humankind has ever laid their gaze upon. Using what? An ultra-clean ritual sword from the throne room. Not just vertically. Horizontally. I repeat: Levi cuts an extremely heavy, 4-story wedding cake not just from top to bottom, but from left to right without disturbing the balance of the entire construct. Do you know how difficult and physically impossible that is? Doing it with his right, injured hand on top of that? All while not soiling his black suit with even one blemish, making the crowd go wild entirely. It’s been a while, but the title of Humanity’s Ultimate Bladehead I mean Strongest is and stays untouched. Levi’s sword skills are still the bomb. Mister Weber excitedly flails and applauds in the first row.

After finishing his magnum opus, the guests storm the ‚samurai cake‘ like a horde, and you know that the very next Monday, your bakery queue will be twice as long. You thought about hiring Linda and her hunky cousin Ben to help you out, and that idea certainly crystallizes more and more inside your mind. In the meantime, trumpets and string instruments start an upbeat theme, ushering Levi and you to the dancefloor. Even while most people try to get their hands on some Levi cake cutting perfection, the rest very keenly watches. Everybody wants to know what the two of you are all about. There’s definitely some pressure and sky-high curiosity in the air. Who is this person Levi has dedicated himself to, who the hell managed that? On the other hand, nobody is surprised you have a tea shop. Literally no one. The people in the audience who’ve seen you do errands with Levi, sit in a tavern with him, or visited your bakery themselves are very quick to inform another bystander, and that bystander tells another one, and so it goes on.

Meanwhile, Levi is already very busy taking your mind off all that jazz. The music plays, you spin over the dancefloor. Levi is not an understated dancer, he got the gist for sure. It’s kind of logical he’s got great balance and coordination, although it’s easy to assume he’d be very raw and fight-like in style. However, Levi has practiced a lot with you in your garden and figured out how to adapt to your own style best. He’s talented and dynamic, secure in his step and flexible in the hip, I know, yum. We’ve seen how he can bend his back. And you sure know what makes him arch. This guy is perfectly bendy and exactly what the dancefloor needs. Levi is not the type of dancer to stick to you real close, rather, the type to be very deliberate with his gaze. He keeps track of the entire situation and looks into your eyes very intensely. How his hand rests on your back, how he sets his steps… it’s glaring how whipped he is, many a Paradis citizen will be shocked how much of a sexy latin dancer soul Levi truly boasts. And you’re like aha, that’s my sexy man right here.

He’s the kind who can incorporate a stunt and really makes it fiery. For today, nothing too crazy goes down and the routine is tame, but he’s really showing his potential regardless and wows the crowd with his vampirely appearance and flair, the swept-back bangs, the chiseled face. How he twirls you elicits many a gasp from the female members of the audience. And the male members: A mixture of jealousy and attacked faces. So— Who is showing off whom now? Levi’s really putting a lot of work into it himself. At the end of the day, you’re both proud of each other. You aren’t the only one who wants to disclose how much in love you are. The dance gives Levi an opportunity to reciprocate. Since no word is needed and physics is all it is? Damn, he really is in his element, a fish in water. I wouldn’t be surprised if Levi wants to pursue dancing in the future. He thought it was silly and unnecessary at first, but it’s another new thing in his life he tasted blood for.

Believe it or not, Levi ends up being able to transport his message and feelings that way very well. Even Historia didn’t expect his expressiveness, but you only giggle to yourself about that. Kinetic intelligence… it permeates everything he does. Body language never lies. He’s speaking it very well to you on that dancefloor. Mikasa watches from Historia’s side making a knowing face. Not that everybody wouldn’t already know that Levi and you practically reek of an active sex life. Even more surprising then is how the statement dance ends with Levi stopping the last dramatic spin only to receive a little chaste kiss on the nose. It’s already become your signature as of lately, and he gets even more flustered now that he got in in front of so many people. Explosive cooing sounds from every corner of the room, and Historia’s fangirling instinct causes her to squeal out loud on her throne. No one would’ve ever thought anybody could do that with Levi. Even Mikasa has to smile a little, she’s so impressed how you finesse your serious little guy so expertly over and over. She’s never seen the captain’s reactions this way. His little grumpy standard ‚hmph‘ becomes a blushing ‚tch‘ in your presence, Mikasa wonders how you do it.

The rest of the evening quickly passes. After Linda catches your sunflower bouquet, Levi has tea at the buffet ad nauseam, adding a cupcake later on, talking about swords with Mister Weber. A cloud of young men swarms around him not much later, aptly listening, ready to know about all the secrets to a gentleman’s way of life. Everybody wants to know how to style oneself to this level of glam. His hair and suit and shoes alike seem to garner a lot of attention. Captain, give us all your hygiene tips, and what does a tall guy do to appear smaller because he wants to look like Levi Ackerman? And how to cut a cake so elegantly, by the way? Levi, although attacked from all sides, stays cool and collected. Later, he goes on explaining and demonstrating a variety of advanced sword skills with a low tone.

Then, somebody drunk brings along a random yellow, fish-shaped piñata just because. Much to your eye candy, Levi gets blindfolded. Damn sexy. Since he has an undercut, his hair remains styled and in place before so he agrees, anyway. For added difficulty, since he’s in his own league, his legs are tied at the ankles, too. Needless to say, Levi completely shatters the piñata with one mighty heicho slice and actually doesn’t say no to a little caramel treat that flew right in his direction. To the bewilderment of everyone around, he makes a content little expression while munching on it. Meanwhile, you answer Historia’s every question. She needs to know any possible detail about you, and already plans to send a messenger to purchase her breakfast bread from you every morning. She emphasizes: Every. You are a little overwhelmed from so much royal attention, but pep-talk yourself saying hey, I have a prince at home the entire day, this is nothing new.

And so, you patiently answer everything, promise an engaged couple from Ragako to bake them a 5-story wedding cake, compliment Mikasa on her sword dance, eat cake, and lose at truth-or-dare with some crowd members. Repeatedly, in fact. It can’t be helped. After truthfully answering whether the captain is good in bed, stealing Historia’s crown as a dare, and sitting on Levi’s back for a headline-making series of 500 pushups, the buffet is close to empty and the musicians are tired. Historia got her crown back, Mikasa and Levi help with cleaning the buffet. Linda managed to get her hands on your bread recipe and eats the last slice. Every treat from the piñata is gone.

Meanwhile, Mister Weber is in proud, temporary possession of Levi’s ritual sword. He already practices with the cadets from the captain’s weekly royal guard training. He’s doing pretty well, actually. His stance is looking rather professional. All the cadets know that if Levi grants an instruction, he does it properly. Instigated by Mister Weber’s fiery enthusiasm, the entire squad ends up staging a mock battle. Ten cadets and Mister Weber represent the palace guard, the remaining 30 a virtual attacking enemy. The imbalance is deliberate, Levi trains his soldiers to perfection through mastering hopeless situations. Linda’s cousin Ben is among the trainees since very recently and even manages to impress Mikasa through a duel with the oldest redhead cadet Daniel who works at the boat shop.

All of the ballroom watches. The ten cadets are bold and energetic, each tackling several attackers at once. Levi is a little skeptical of their loud antics, but he still enjoys seeing the fruits of his teaching effort at play. He himself joins for merely fifteen seconds toward the end of the battle, backing twenty enemies against a wall with nothing but your cake fork. Meanwhile, the ten cadets and Mister Weber tackle the rest. Huge applause, and the roles change for a second round. A wild horde of 20 cadets storms the ten victors of the first round and ten additional cadets who now both play the enemy. Levi refuses to join this time, giving little nods at good hits instead, making countless mental notes. Again, the palace guards gain the upper hand after one tempest of a battle.

Levi’s beastly swordsmanship is visible in many of the cadets’ physical style like a signature, although you can clearly see how Daniel or some other older members have developed a very particular individual approach after adopting the basics. Needless to say, the Queen is well-guarded by 40 capable men and women. In a way, it’s a giant Ackerman clan. With sparkling eyes, Historia plans Levi’s third pay rise this year, and Mister Weber feels twenty years young all over again. In fact, he’s excited because he got an elbow to the rib in the heat of the moment for once. The party still rages on in many corners of the castle because a lot of people got drunk, but you bluntly suggest to a very socially exhausted-looking Levi — meanwhile, the push-ups were peanuts to him — to depart before the sun rises again so you can watch the moon from your houseboat after sex. Levi agrees, knowing he married the right person.


	9. The Tea Pot

The ride to the harbor is short and sweet. In fact, Levi’s battery recharges as soon as you’re alone with him. Paradis Island at this time of the day is so refreshing. The air circulating above the sea is clear and cooling, and the lights from the palace in the distance contrast with the stars. Tomorrow, there will be a thunderstorm in the evening, it’s something you feel in the air and the temperature, but today, the sky is clear. Kasper, smart horse he is, convinces Levi with a loud puff through his nostrils not to bind his reins at the quay. Rather, he wants to gallop back home, he can’t go without his barn. Levi’s animal whisperer instinct knows what to do and releases Kasper onto the path headed south toward your house. Get yourself a man who loves animals. And off he goes with his fluttering brown mane waving goodbye. Shortly after, Levi brings the boat into motion and maneuvers it out a little. The waves are gentle and the mosquitoes like to swarm closer to the lights of the coast, so they have mercy on him for tonight.

You relax by sitting at the edge of the boat’s platform, feet dangling, talking about the ball and ride to the underground retrospectively. Levi says he never had such a good time in front of so many people. Especially the dance sticks with him, he thanks you for practicing it with him so often. Vice versa, you compliment him on his talented cadets. As soon as the air gets even remotely chilly, Levi spies with his little heicho eye the wooden chest he faithfully brought along. It doesn’t take much to get the hint. You stand up, then squarely return with the box to wrap him into Kuchel’s coat. Why not baby him a little. He looks so petite in these huge clothes. Levi asks you to join, and indeed the coat is big enough for two. Cozy. It’s like you’re being under the hospital blanket all over again. You plant a series of kisses on the top of his head and smell his hair. Still as if it was freshly washed. 

  
You hum a little melody you picked up from the orchestra earlier and sway Levi back and forth to the rhythm, then pick up the frequency of the waves when the melody ends and you sway on. Even Levi has to admit after a while that being together under a winter coat in August gets a little too hot. That both of you feel a suspense in your bodies and Levi has a lot of strong coffee in his system doesn’t help. The coat goes back to the box, you retreat to the inside of the boat. Ideal timing: The mosquitos are getting busy on the water by the minute. Very well, just like the two of you. At this point, you understand why Levi scrutinized the boats so much. He’s not just been eyeing them for size. It needed a special kind of interior for a special kind of purpose. 

  
The boudoir of the houseboat is generously decorated with teak wood, a swirly metal frame bed, and two golden oil lamps that omit a warm red and orange light. Levi is a bit concerned with safety and prepares a water bucket just in case something catches fire. You jokingly say that the only thing that’s gonna be scorched alive tonight is his dick, and the bucket he’ll have to use to cool it off. If a huge cloud of steam evaporates over Paradis tonight, it’s not the Colossal Titan. Readily provoked, poker-faced Levi says no need for extinguishing water, your pussy will be wet enough. You say checkmate, and the undressing begins. Mostly — you. That Gomez Addams suit is too stylish to be stripped off. At least not right away. 

Casually enough, Levi sets up the record for fastest bridal stocking removal ever with his teeth. He’s tied enough bandages around his hand to be able to use his mouth for good help. Butler Levi is back in town. Motto: He’s put it on you in the morning, he’ll pull it off in the evening. You begin to realize that your husband simply wants to do everything right. Dressing you was good practice, he knows his stuff by now, he’s not gonna be weirdly fumbling at any buttons because he’s unfamiliar. He wants to be an expert in you and be of service. Which is immensely flattering coming from Humanity’s Strongest Goth Boyfriend. Pardon, Husband. This guy’s eagerness, I swear. Levi’s ogled you all throughout the dance, the buffet, the mock battle, and while you were busy talking to Historia. And damn, he so wants you. Hell, this guy has had you on top of himself for 500 push-ups. If he doesn’t follow up on that in any way, he’d be oblivious. Your body is to impressive and smoking and overwhelming to him, he thinks it’s so inviting. With you seated at the edge of the bed and him kneeling at your feet, he can’t get enough of your legs and won’t stop licking and kissing them for at least five minutes, with sucking your fingers right after as the cherry on top. His mouth is all hot, and greedy, and needs a whole dose of stimulation. 

  
One thing leads to the other, he’s on a roll. Levi has been trying hard not to devour your cleavage and collar bones with his eyes during the ball, his level of self-control has reached Annie Leonhardt levels. He can’t wait to put his mouth right there as step number three. Like, what is ass, does it exist? Levi sure is a legs man, he likes ’em long, but breasts take up the first place. Not sold? Think about what his particular height makes him see all day every day when you stand in front of him. Even back in the day, what was all up in his face 24/7? Everybody’s tig ole bitties except Connie’s! That has made its way into his preferences by sheer conditioning and he can’t help it. #CrushedByTitties: Favorite tombstone tagline for this lil’ sucker. Titans couldn’t do it, but if you ask him, your boobs fairly should. He’s gonna spend the whole next ten minutes swirling and dragging and tracing his tongue all over your breasts and could probably go on and on. He’s been hard since removing your stockings. Needless to say: This guy is decked out in condoms, all safely stored in his vest. Levi is ready to be a _hoe_. 

  
And you have a lot of plans, your husband’s gonna get wrecked. First, by taking him down onto the sheets with an onslaught of vicious tickling. You want that Ackersmile and you get that Ackersmile. He’s even laughing a little, sweet Jesus. You add some hair ruffling for good measure, gotta pepper everything with some attention for his weak spot. Untying the satin of his shoes comes first and you tickle his feet. Levi is chuckling and winding in the sheets already. Next are the jacket, the trousers. You’ll never not be wowed by how muscular yet skinny he is. Last is the underwear, and you make sure to neatly stack everything on the chair next to the bed. Nothing more insulting than throwing Levi Ackerman’s clothes into a corner. God, you love to take him in so raw and naked. While you’re at it, pinning his face sidewards into the pillow with his ass up is only a step away from that. That the pillows are freshly washed and smell like lavender is such an unexpected turn-on for Levi that he’s wincing a little. You mentally promise to promote the diligent harbor staff by displaying their flyers in your bakery. Lavender is such a good choice.

  
Now that Levi assumes a picture-perfect stance, you can get to the little cardboard box that you brought along in Kasper’s saddlebag. Levi has only vaguely heard that you ordered something from northwestern Marley. The shipping cost was apparently decent, but that’s all he heard about it. Now that the box is right in front of him and you lay out the contents, it does dawn upon him. Marley is still a little more advanced with these things, so. He can brace himself. Many of the high-shine toys Levi hasn’t seen in a whole lifetime, others he can already guess the use of. You assure him all is diligently sanitized, and you brought some gloves along. Levi already ate a little less yesterday because you asked him to get his ass prepared, now he knows the reason. He gets really nervous and makes big eyes at your first calibre. Anal beads. 

  
Seven on a string with descending sizes. Not the standard model with merely three. If there’s anything you know, Levi is way more ambitious and horny than that. Humanity’s Strongest Ass Cheeks need something to handle. He’s soon to find out that they feel even more jaw-dropping than they look. His asshole is capable of training itself to an astounding diameter (you don’t have to guess why) and swallows the balls one by one. With the help of a little honey brought from your bakery, everything gets a little smoother. Levi is going crazy with the sweat and pleasure, doesn’t know where to put his hands, they’ve become so erratic. The way you grab his ass with your gloves and sink the last two larger beads into him is something Levi couldn’t have pictured in his wettest dreams. And Levi’s morning wood is basically a thunder spear, his dreams are not just wet but soaking, the bar is high as fuck. 

  
You couldn’t be more gratified with how vocal he’s getting, and top off the sex toy launch with an ass massage. Levi really likes your hands to get to work there, and you take note to grab his ass more often. Sometimes, there are still novel things you get to know about him, you sure as hell won’t get bored. The faces and stuttered noises he makes when you’re pulling the beads out again also count for that. His honey-dripping sphincter is twitching uncontrollably like his fucking life depends on it, and he can’t hold still. Levi is already a pro at oral, but anything anal is still something he’s practicing. Which is notable to you because Levi rarely takes much time to learn anything physical. However, you realize it’s not because he’s bad at it. It’s because he’s highly sensitive and takes care of his hygiene. Which you give due praise for, Levi doesn’t get nearly enough credit for always smelling so clean and fragrant. By the time you pulled out the toy completely, he’s nice and gaping, and all pink. Levi begs you to keep the gloves on for the remaining action, and you sense a new incoming kink that will establish itself. That he likes getting handled with those is the most logical thing on the planet though. 

  
You take a deep breath. For a good change, the sex toys stay on hold for a minute. Levi’s bulge in that suit has been so delicious-looking earlier, you have to get some of his dick now. On goes the condom, and you need no further foreplay because one moan is all it needs from him. Where other guys are still desperately trying, Levi just has to reach a particular vulnerable tone with his voice or grit his teeth from pleasure overwhelm and you already feel like blowing up. Oh, we’re going wet tonight, even the wedding cake wasn’t as creamy. You turn Levi on his back and get those shaky hands safely locked in a tight grab of yours on each side of the bed, sitting on top of him. Levi’s wrists are so cute and tiny, you love to hold them and call him angel.

  
Especially when you hop on and ride him. Inserting him proper and locking eyes on eyes. And that’s exactly how it goes all over again, with him thrusting his hips back from below you because he can. The sheer core strength, oh shit. It doesn’t take long until you’re picking up a sound rhythm. That poor swirly bed has to tolerate Humanity’s Strongest and buff bread bakerette Mrs Ackerman going at it without restraint. Whoever crafted that steel needs a raise. It’s probably from Wakanda — when Levi fucks, you need Vibranium. Talk about awakened power. That houseboat furniture is generally nailed firmly to the ground comes in very, very handy. God, sliding down on him makes you burn up. A helpless, whincing Levi underneath you apologizes in advance because he can feel he’s gonna cum much earlier than usual. You ride on a little slower and pick up how the waves around the boat go as a guideline. If smartphones with video cameras existed in Paradis, you sure as hell would use one right now because Levi’s low moans are beyond slutty.

  
As if you aren’t aroused enough by them, he asks you to bend down to get your big kiss. A long and deep one for Mrs Ackerman. The first time you locked lips on the rooftop of your bakery comes to life again because Levi is hooked by your mouth for many breathless minutes. Your grab on his wrists slowly turns into hand holding, and you feel how your own orgasm creeps up with every thrust Levi pumps into you. One thing’s for sure: He didn’t lie about the wetness. You keep up your rhythm and lengthen the kiss. You’re not gonna last through this for more than three minutes, Levi’s godly dick and keen lips be damned. More thrusts, more hot kisses, more wet pussy clenching all over him. The grip of his fingers between yours becomes tighter now — the point of no return. His lips are violently trembling when he cums, but his groaning ends up muffled into the kiss. Your mind is going wild from how he looks into your eyes so longingly. Levi breaks the kiss crying how much he needs you. After a few more of his whimpered thrusts, you bury your hands in his hair and throw your head back.

  
Two and a half hours later, the moon has descended far enough to glance into the room’s wide window. It’s full, pale, and emits a soft dim shine like a halo. Levi has tried to shift the bed toward the window much earlier to get a better glimpse of it, but forgot about the nails that hold the posts in place. Levi would have literal zero problems just removing them with his bare hands because he can, but you don’t wanna get into trouble with the harbor staff and demolish property, although they probably would fall to his feet anyway. A little ‚tch‘ follows, and the two of you end up waiting a little for the moon to subside further, cuddled up with Levi as the literal most perfect little spoon. 

  
The sun has long climbed over the silhouette of the castle, the houseboat heads back toward the harbor. Except a curled up stray dog at the pier, nobody is around. It seems like the entire island has a hangover. The heat already makes you plan to go for a quick swim in the evening, and Levi bemoans not being able to don the coat until the evening again. On top of that, he can’t really sit and you feel tense in your muscles all over. That equals Levi first walking home by himself and then sending you Kasper with a cart attached. Kuchel is peacefully napping inside of it with her paws crossed. Besides getting carried inside through the front door bridal style, what awaits you at home is a rich breakfast with self-made orange juice and decorated letter with 50 Mark in it. Historia made sure to have all breads for the week paid in advance. The crown stealing joke seems to have gone well after all, so, phew. 

  
Levi takes his pastry standing after giving his damp hair a good combing. He’s been in the shower while waiting for you. For the first time in months he has bags under his eyes — and you scratched him pretty badly across his chest while he was fingering you to the third orgasm — but you gotta admit that him being your husband makes him pretty effortlessly charming no matter what. After you’re both done snacking, Levi changes from his bathing gown to a proper suit and cleans the kitchen. You’re taking a shower yourself in the meantime and hear Levi opening and closing the wardrobe in the bedroom. You can already tell he’s neatly folded your wedding dress and his suit to sort them into the shelves. Not for nostalgic value, you already discussed that. You’ve had the idea to return to your latest sewing obsession again to change a few things on either gown instead. Levi’s looks very easy to customize into a simple evening suit, you like going out with him, after all. Even if it’s just being in a tavern, he likes to look put-together. The dress is a little trickier. You think it might be interesting to try separating the top from the skirt part and make two new garments out of that. 

  
Levi is long convinced and impressed of your craftiness, and has gladly handed over the fate of his suit to your creativity. Again, not wasting anything, and it’s not catching dust, he likes that. A+ Ackermanagement of the household. If he can wear the repurposed suit casually on a daily basis, to him, he’s not just a husband on the inside, but the exterior, too. Levi likes clothes made by you so much. He gets to feel like a super model, and more handsome. If the garment is your taste, he thinks he certainly must be. You say, Levi! You’re already gentlemanly without fancy clothes. Like — really. He exudes it without the little help of some tailoring. He’s your heartthrob if he does or doesn’t trim his hair to perfection. Pointing out to him that he returned to you in nothing but a chunk of bandages but it was the greatest gift to you matters a lot to him, then. 

  
It gives Levi a different perspective on his self-worth. And also, the need to be perfect according to the standards he anticipates. That your standards of perfection rather center around putting the right amount of yeast into a dough and not at how much of a Mike Zacharias-level height Levi is… takes some time to sink in. But he’s getting there. Levi will put on his suit with a different mentality years down the line, and for the time being, you have an open ear for his concerns about himself, and you can be sure he will entrust his sorrows with you instead of hiding them to both of your detriment. You made a habit of neither bulldozing over his self-critical attitude with too many compliments nor entirely letting him immerse himself in self-doubt.

Equipped with a giant lunch package by you, Timmy starts his first day as a farmer soon, and Linda takes up work at your tea shop with her cousin. They work the counter and the oven where Kuchel sleeps, and do some waiting in between. The latest topic at the bakery is Levi’s infamous cake fork battle, it’s still the talk of the town. Days when there are less customers in the evening you spend at the beach, feet in the sand, large hat on. Mikasa gifted it to you and bought the exact same for herself, it’s perfect to sit in the sun or on the boat for longer. Spring, summer, and even autumn. The weather couldn’t be any more perfect on the island. After Mikasa gets busy downtown again, Levi arrives on Kasper before sunset to row the nutshell around some sandbanks for a bit, enjoying the gentle breeze. He often talks about how proud he is of Timmy, and you’ve never heard him so sentimental. 

Your honeymoon plan remains — not going anywhere at all. Why would you? There’s no reason. With Levi Ackerman, every day is honeymoon. It doesn’t matter where you are, his presence is all you need. He’s a shy little angel. And life is easy, as nonsensical and impossible as that would have sounded some years ago. You go for rides, long walks, camp, hike, row, sit by fires at the beach. Levi’s cadets are doing mighty fine, your bakery has queues and wealthy clients and tourists from Marley. Mikasa is spending a lot of time with Ben and Linda, Mister Weber frequently meets up with Levi to do some fencing. On a rainy afternoon, you visit Flora Heine in the Underground City, you write down everything she can recall about Kuchel while Levi aptly listens. Although the papers have gotten lost in the theft, Kuchel apparently used to sketch her baby a lot. To the prostitutes of the brothel, Levi was not merely a timid child, but also a sweet soul. Flora even recounts Kuchel having had a suspicion who Levi’s father was. It takes both Levi and you by shock. 

Hermann Dwiel, owner of a grocery store in the upper ground. Levi has never hurried toward a place as fast in his entire life. Said street is hardly three blocks away from where your old bakery stood, but the current inhabitants say the owner is deceased. It happened roughly fifteen years ago. It was a natural death. Hermann never knew he had a son. The store is now an apartment for someone else. Levi is completely taken aback. You urge the inhabitants to recall as much as they can. They describe him as a tempered, small-looking man with a love for bread, horse riding, and fine china, and hand Levi a teapot and saddle that formerly belonged to Hermann. An elderly lady in the same house also manages to point you toward the place where he was allegedly put to rest outside Stohess. A simple stone with initials carved into it, situated under a willow tree. The grave is a place Levi will return to many times.

Since the discovery of it, and the inhabitants retelling details about Hermann, and spending a few weeks ruminating about it, Levi has started to sleep for much longer. Sometimes, seven hours. His most important question, to be in the knowing of his father’s identity, has been answered. Anything more he never asked for, and he is glad that the past is now closed in its entirety. Levi is unsure about whether he wanted to have met him. The circumstances had been the way they should have been. He trusts Kuchel’s choice of wanting to remain a single mother, and has no resentment. He’d not be here with you if things had gone otherwise. The universe was not against him, evidently, when it sent him Erwin’s guiding hand. Fighting for a larger cause was necessary. Humanity would have no strongest soldier, the titans would have obliterated everything in their way. It’s how it would have went, Humanity’s Hope raised by Hermann would have been nothing but titan fodder. Have you seen how sickly and hopeless Levi was without his awakened power? Of course he would have preferred a proper raising and spending time with his dad over fighting for his life all day. But that is a mentality of regret which Levi abhors. The wheel can’t be turned backward.

Kenny and Erwin had been the ones Levi followed in Hermann’s stead, and it was good that way, for the sake of the island. A father figure is someone who takes you under their wing, and both did it with Levi. Fast forward, you are the one he follows now, and it is good that way. In each period of his life, the mentor that was best for him was there, and brought out his maximum potential. The only way is up. They all gave him a better life and bigger purpose, and that accumulated over time, ending with you where Levi found the last step toward a happy existence.

He knows Hermann certainly didn’t visit Kuchel because he wanted a son. The exact opposite was a case. In such a setting, the entire purpose is the mere pleasure. So, showing up at Hermann’s door would’ve been double the bad idea. First, he was unplanned, second, baggage in all kinds of ways. Perhaps even a reputation ruiner. Levi feels like he carries a suffocating stigma and avoided the brothel for that very reason. And that he wasn’t planned weighs heavy on him, too, save the will of his mom to keep him against all odds which he deeply admires and wants to show his gratitude to. 

Those who wanted him in their life were Kuchel, Isabel, Furlan, Erwin, and now you. And the one who had the impulse to want him outside of a negative first situation is — exclusively you. Let that sink in. That’s the only bond stemming from full free choice. Hell, he could have gotten his bread elsewhere down the block, you see, it was all up to him. Your relationship is not forged from coercive circumstances where there was no other way. Hermann is far away from that: You are the only highly important person that was not dumped into Levi’s life in a ‚there, now get along, make something of this, good luck‘ manner. Hermann would have been another stroke of fate Levi did not consent to. Granted, no birth is consented to, but even later on Levi was pushed around into social contracts he didn’t pick by himself in a healthy environment. 

Even the first meeting with Erwin, and yes, it did develop into trust and a genuine bond, was an either-join-or-get-wrecked-by-the-military-police agreement. Or take a less than eager Kenny who took Levi with him imposing a program to run by, demands, expectations that would benefit Kenny to repay him for having to take care of the little boy who could barely switch off his own vital needs to accommodate someone else’s. Levi’s entire life has consisted of deals like that. Stay or be screwed. Win-lose. Tolerate or die. Conform or bite the fucking dust. Meet the condition or rot away. Sometimes, demands are a valid thing, and agreements are needed to settle something, but the way it went with Levi… That’s not a way to live and strive. In your love, and that is sadly but also gladly an exception, Levi is not obliged, and never has been. You didn’t hold a gun to his head and scream „be my boyfriend or eat shit!“. He’s no threat or burden to you, giving him dire consequences to gnaw on is not needed. He could sit at his table the way he wanted, when he wanted, how often he wanted, and there was no punishment if he didn’t. No bending over backward. He didn’t get a particularly nice teacup if he didn’t go, but he could’ve had it elsewhere, made it by himself, had something different, get it later, ask Hanji for tea leaves, have her stew instead, the options go on. 

His loss would have been minimal and more sentimental in nature instead of massively life-threatening. Levi wasn’t kicked down the street to run into your bakery. The only ‚negative‘ thing that compelled him was his yearning for tea and smiles at best. And that because he was lonely and depressed. Still, he went there because he had this desire by himself in the first place — just because, in good spirits, he looked forward to it. Levi is such a willful person who can go against what almost anyone says. Even the state. But if you think twice, that desire on his own has last been respected and heard and truly fostered back in… when, actually? In fact, he has conformed and tolerated more than his strong disposition would suggest. 

Levi has catered to other people’s interest to a fault but got what back? Only pain and a perpetual feeling of being left when he needed it the most. His grief and all that confusing genetic wiring made him so desperate, he would bear things worse than death over actual death. Levi’s brand of sacrifice is among the unhealthiest things you can think of. He’s been slaving away for others with nothing coming back, no promise was met. I don’t even know how many times Levi had to endure a mindbreak. It’s your promise to him to never put him in that deal, and you couldn’t even if you tried. Being with you brings Levi, halleluja, actual goddamn benefits— the list is longer than the Colossal Titan’s dingly dangly skeleton — and doesn’t coerce him to tolerate something, or coerce him to stay. 

He wasn’t going ‚fine, I have to, I guess, you told me so’ when he showed up at your apartment. Remember that one? It was all about seeing whether he wants it or not instead. That you wanted it was already clear. It’s been up to him. And at the end of the day, Levi is indeed with you because he has an intrinsic motivation that is just there. Period. Guess why he had to be the one to propose for marriage. Desire of his own, you see. Levi is nothing short of brainwashed through decade-long conditional and extremely punitive relations. Panic-stricken ones on top of that. He is no saint, no, not at all, and everyone is a victim on this island. But because Levi is so strong, nobody wants to see how a lot of people have taken advantage of him. And how only that brought him down a heavy path. You’d think Levi is the ruthless one… No, he’s not. 

That he does something that’s good for him without a negative driving force is important. It is true that later on after finding your shop, he could have become frustrated if something would have prevented him to go to your shop, and he wouldn’t have had that extra convenience in terms of the tasty things he bought. He might have been hungry and would’ve had to buy something elsewhere. He would have missed you. He would’ve been sad after a while. But all the way through, he wasn’t compelled by something terribly lethal to visit you or else. He was coming around because he found it very marvelous and he liked you, it was an addition to his life he really enjoyed and still does. It was something he felt he needed, and you both grew to depend on another like a couple, but he wouldn’t have dropped dead or get stabbed by a hitman if he stayed in the barracks and had his tea there.

There wouldn’t have been a violent repercussion inflicted on him if he didn’t ride to the shop unlike in many other situations he went through. You are the first person he is with on a 100% voluntary basis. Think about it. The majority of his relations to other people started with a mortal consequence looming over his head if he didn’t engage in them. Or, a belligerent environment he couldn’t exactly pick. The bar has been lower than low. Forcing Levi into setups that were like castles of glass and houses of cards was all that it was. Losing everyone made him realize that exactly that consequence would stick around and strike not him, but the other person in the long run. That is seriously, seriously messed up. Levi has been running on trauma bonds, punishments, threats, and a suffocating inevitability since day one. His father is part of that bitter cocktail. All that did not do our little guy justice.

And so, Levi has learned the difference now: Between his will being overruled and overwritten in a supposed favor against a worse fate, that is, force-feeding him a seeming lesser evil, and on the other hand: A selection between two good, inconspicuous things. Things that are in accordance with what he likes. Instead of one choice being his more or less immediate death and the other being a shattered life. He wants to deny it, but even Kuchel’s care falls into that category, and it is as unfortunate as can be. Abortion the way Kenny wanted it or a life under a hotel bed, trapped in a dark city. In that moment, especially after his mom’s passing? He would’ve rather been never born at all. The lesser evils went on with Kenny, and actually, got worse. Prolonged hunger death or wielding a knife and hurting others to get by. That was even more terrible given that Levi is a protective soul. Going against that meant killing himself. Same with Hermann — dying in the brothel or never growing to be the trusted shield of the island. If Levi never got an ODM gear, his entire purpose had been for naught. He sure as hell wouldn’t have gone that path if he grew up in the grocery store. The house in the sunflower field wouldn’t even be a figment of imagination, there would be nobody to dream it in the first place if this timeline went down. 

That Levi reunited with Kenny and it went wrong is enough to chew on. Ackerman family reunions after how many years? Always a bad idea. That Hermann is someone he can’t make such unsure memories with is a burden off Levi. No more picking up the broken pieces. Hermann hasn’t abandoned him or did some other bullshit, he never even knew that Levi existed. It’s no good if the Ackermans try to revive what is long gone, or think in rose-colored ways about people either. The information he got is enough for him, and none of it is any surprise. Especially because he can now debunk the 101 theories that whatever weird thing XYZ is to blame for his height. As, most importantly, Kuchel worked so hard that Levi would have something to eat, she even gave him her portions. She doesn’t deserve that disrespect when people say Levi didn’t have food to grow. He didn’t have super abundant meals, but he had what he needed because his mom was an angel. 

Kuchel did everything so Levi could survive and make it count. The height? He got it from his daddy, that’s how it went. And so, he is proud of it. It’s something tangible as an inheritance, something that will always make him remember. You say his father gave him everything he needed to become such an agile fighter and great hugger. Hermann contributed even in his absence, he gave him all the important things, and Levi finds that a nice way to look at it. And, either way: The saddle he has obvious good use for, and the blue teapot you place on the little porch table almost every evening. That Levi’s dad had such similar interests is actually really cute. You remark that whatever Hermann did, Levi would do without ever meeting him, like an invisible connection to sync. Even the bread thing. The Ackermans really have a special thing going on with their blood relation. Whenever Levi comes along with a new hobby once in a while, you both agree, his father surely did the same at some point.

And Levi definitely expanded on his skills. This guy Thor is apparently pretty decent with his hammer last time I checked, but Levi surely is better, truly. Crafting is his life, crafting and cleaning. Handling tools comes so easily to him, he could have done all that titan fighting with tongs and chisels. Back when he built the house he was planning a lot and taking his time. Nowadays, Levi is a professional axe-and-saw wielder with sudden spikes of improvisation. And bruh, he has so much oomph in that. He chops wood for your, Linda’s, and Timmy’s oven in 10 minutes where another man takes three hours. Mister Weber is totally in love with Levi’s backhand axe grip and watches Humanity’s DIY Legend at full throttle over the fence when he’s not busy with mowing. As of recently, Levi made a heart-shaped cat bed at your request and built a garden house in the back for you to sew in. With some antiques in them, decently large windows. He has to admit that it sort of became a rendezvous spot to make out a little here and there, but sewing is the intended purpose. Levi is as lithe as always, you enjoy having him sit in your lap and ruminate while you’re finishing a piece of embroidery for the tea shop counter. 

The next project is to expand the café in the bakery, where Historia gets a little special table to spend her Sunday mornings on. You’ve already been sketching out how to add on to the premise. Project number two is building a proper boat with one larger mainsail. Levi has taken a liking in your aquatic activities, and fishing is easier with a steadier, larger boat. So why not make it by himself. It’s a sweat job, but actually? No big deal for Levi, the son of a gun. Too damn superhuman. For inspiration and tips, he invited Daniel from the boat shop over to help him out. Clever idea. Daniel is not only a loyal senior cadet, but also a great woodworker and painter. The boat takes a month to complete, and the hammering and rasping noise even trumps Mister Weber’s tractor from hell, but the collaboration is fruitful and Daniel paints your garden house, patio, barn, and the porch along the way as if it’s nothing. Of course: Everything you want to be in shades of light purple just like Levi’s favorite teacup. The purple house in the sunflower field, with a cat and a horse and a pavilion and a boat. Now that sounds like an Eldian fairytale. 

The boat itself Levi wants to sport some bright signal colors, safety first. With the adverse effect of the whole island knowing when Levi and you set your sails. It’s often more entertaining than not, and you like how much of a splash of color it is. Besides — everyone is busy cooing at Timmy who likes to join your boat trips. He’s grown quite a bit, but like Levi, he simply doesn’t lose his cuteness. Bless them, that’s just how underground boys are like. They make great sailormen on top of that, to the point where Mikasa joins the boat ride without wanting to row or steer it for one inch. Instead, she lies down in the sun and simply does nothing for once. How nice to just hang out. Levi maneuvers the boat around the whole island sometimes, and it’s pure scenic porn. Though, and that stays the way it is, nothing surpasses returning home. When Mister Weber has piled up the wheat harvest or the corn, and the clouds are towering far into the sky, and your house looks like a bastion in between the flowers. Even when it rains and you return from downtown, with Levi wearing his black raincoat that makes him look like a wet grumbling cat, it’s a place of wholesome shelter.


	10. The Snowman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time to conclude this with some crack shall we :D

In winter, you enjoy the scenery just as much, if not even more. Christmas is the best season with Levi. Like come on, how much better can it get. Making hot chocolate for two and Levi being able to wear his coat all around the clock, knitting socks, the oven running overtime. You bake the most exciting things for your customers and him, from gingerbreads to Italian style panettone cakes, even cookies to hang on the Christmas tree. Getting presents and decorating is more than just a pastime, that’s the new Ackerman way of life. Christmas is a sacred thing to Levi and that could develop and fortify over the years. Now that you have the time and the right spot to set up a proper tradition, everything is on a roll. Even a snowball tournament a day before Christmas is part of that. No, Levi is not wearing Kuchel’s coat for that one, no risks. Instead, he’s marching up in his quilted jacket that you were sewing on for two weeks. You have to smile because it makes him look like an adorable caterpillar from afar. A dozen cadets, Linda, Mister Weber, Mikasa, Timmy, Historia and you face against Levi as the singular opponent down in the rye field. To keep it fair, you see.

You can already tell that all of you are in danger. Levi throws like he’s hitting a home run. But mostly… targeting the cadets as you correctly observe. Nor does he seem to aim at the face which is honestly very kind of him. At least no necks broken, just the legs. I’m kidding, but he really does have a vicious tech to his swing. Oh, motherfucker. So, you have to combine your powers and protect Daniel and Ben from getting whacked out of their boots by a soaring Levi curveball. While the tournament is at full throttle and it’s starting to become a Levi VS Mikasa boss battle, Kuchel watches from a distance and licks her paws. She thinks snow is such a weird thing but it’s fun to search for what’s underneath. Observing just that, you duck behind an explosive Mister Weber who scoops gigantic loads of snow towards Levi with an oversized gardening shovel. Not far enough, but he’s getting there. And: He’s busy and you can’t be seen behind him. Time for strategy. You seize the opportunity to beckon a very playful Kuchel close and do some pspspsps magic, pet her, off she waddles under the surface of the snow, entirely unseen.

As Levi prepares a particular gigantic snowball comet to take pretty much everyone out, Kuchel bolts forth from underneath the snow and jumps Levi from the front with a loud, clingy meow. She lands on his face belly forward, holds tight, and the captain flails his little arms from such a fluffy surprise. Mikasa uses that split second to launch a snowball that would have blown an entire army of titans to pieces. Striking his chest, that almost suffices to tip him off balance. A shovel load from Mister Weber follows, and this time, it flies far enough. Counting down to three, the cadets and you bring down twelve snow missiles on the captain simultaneously, and Levi finally gets knocked over. Back first into the snow with a tiny yelp. It’d be a lie that he’s actually defeated at this point, but he knows the cat cuddle strategy can only be yours, so. Ackerbond. He allows himself to fall down and stay there. He’s not as sore a loser as he pretends in the first place. For cat snuggles, Levi gladly succumbs.

Historia is the first to storm forward roaring with a mischievous ‚heehee!‘. She jokingly punches a helplessly laughing captain Levi in the stomach like a novice boxer gone wild until the rest of her team comes to arrest him. Tough luck, he still can’t see anything because of a ball of fur cuddling against him. You pick him up bridal style because that’s what the bakery biceps is for, and Levi finds himself in front of the porch where even more snow has fallen overnight. A perfect working ground. The cadets and Timmy end up building a snowman with a cursing Levi inside of it, only his head peaking forth at the very top. Peak art, I’m telling you. Exhibit it in the Louvre. Levi only doesn’t burst out of his cold prison — because he very well could — as it means getting nose boops by you and Timmy finds all of this so amusing.

To top it off, Ben has purchased the first camera available on Paradis island. A brown, bulky box that takes a couple seconds to produce a shot. He manages to snap a very shaky picture of snowman Levi with you on the side, pinching his cheek with your index. The photograph makes it to the top of your Christmas tree a week later and eventually wanders into a frame that remains over the living room’s fireplace pretty much until the end of time. In the evening, you congratulate Kuchel on her successful Mission Impurrsible, give her a big smooch between the ears and provide an extra portion of milk. Levi wishes he could have seen that one coming, but a cup of tea for reconciliation he will not refuse.

Christmas Eve is just like organizing the wedding all over again. Some alone time, some socializing. You spend some hours with Ben who brought Mikasa along, preparing some parts of the evening’s great meal. But other than that, the morning is relaxed and far from bustling. The last presents get wrapped and ribboned. Levi practices some Christmas songs on the piano that Mister Weber wanted to throw away last summer, but Levi took it instead. Crafty he is, the piece now stands close to the fireplace all repaired and without one speck of dust on it. Levi can but doesn’t sing since he wants to rehearse hitting the right keys first, but you sure do, so that’s what you’re working on, learning your lines by heart and belting the notes. Levi’s advice: „Hit it like you’d face off with a shitty titan.“ Okay, alright, that’s the spirit. It has you more snorting than actually singing, but that’s a kind of visualization that actually works. Lord knows your resonance climbs to a new level of epic when the bombastic background music starts playing out of nowhere simply because Levi is in the room. To this day, you don’t know where the hell that orchestra is coming from.

After a shower, you dress up for the day in your repurposed wedding attire. Nostalgia doesn’t hurt, and the oven is warm enough inside. Some hours after lunch, the entire snowball battle alliance gathers around the house, including Timmy’s grandpa Gunther and Flora Heine. It’s a huge deal. Mister Weber used his tractor from hell to drive through the Underground like a madman, scaring half the population, but succeeding in picking up Timmy’s grandpa despite his leg condition. It’s the first time he sees the upper ground, the first time he sees the snow and the sun, and he’s deeply moved for the entire evening. Flora has been to Stohess once in her life, but the countryside she’s never seen — Mikasa using her horse to pick Flora up has been the ride of her life in the best of ways. Historia also has some time to spare and comes along with a carriage, causing Timmy to get the sparkliest eyes ever. „Auntie’s tractor is so fancy!“ he says, and everyone finds it endearing.

After descending, Historia wants to see you and Levi kiss under the mistletoe so badly, she brought one along. Legitimately, a damn mistletoe just for the two of you. Yes, a rather tiny one from the palace garden, but it does its job. She squarely holds it over Levi’s head and then points at you. Levi is audibly grumpy at how the Queen is puppeteering him like its nothing, but the kiss he is very much on board with. He’s kinds biting his lips already… you can tell. It’s a good moment. Historia impatiently taps her foot until Levi gives a little ‚hrmph’ for permission. After telling Linda to cover Timmy’s eyes, you don’t hesitate to step under the mistletoe, pull Levi close by his collar, and proceed to lock lips for an extra-long kiss that is sure to gratify not just the two of you. Historia is already trying not to squeal out loud. You add a bit of tongue and direct Levi’s head with a hand in his hair just to show who’s the boss. The cadets are whistling and rolling on the floor like crazy, they bang their fists on the ground, they gape at Levi with ginormous eyes.

Flora is amazed at Levi’s turn of life and shouts along when Historia demands a second kiss by her royal authority. How the first kiss went already — he can’t say no. Historia’s victory grin is big and satisfied. Levi already begins to fear her unhinged fangirling a thousand times more than her boxer punch. She could beat him up all day and he would just shrug, but all that shipping for PDA is seriously getting to him. Thank God he was too busy talking about swords at the wedding, she would have taken him out at the truth-or-dare round without even blinking. It’s such a Levi thing. The most fearless man around but when it comes to emotions, oh, sweet emotions. And because you know that, just as Historia wants to retreat her mistletoe, you add a third kiss on Levi’s nose to make him swirl down his serotonin spiral entirely.

The wedding flashback makes Historia and the cadets jump around your house and scream their lungs out. Seeing Levi’s embarrassment, Timmy is confused as to what happened, and Linda accurately explains to him: „The Captain loves his wife very much.“ Timmy bluntly says „But Linda, I know!“ and it makes you smile. So precious. Meanwhile, Levi runs around as red as a ball on the Christmas tree for at least five minutes. While you seat the guests, he even briefly sneaks out of the house to stuff his boiling face in the snow behind the bakery until regaining his Ackercomposure. All that kissing shit is making him lose control over his poker face, man. Levi pragmatically acknowledges that targeting his hair was a power move he can’t do anything against — which he… enjoys. „Damn, woman. You know what you’re doing,“ is all he comments in his mind, and the case is clear. In the hopes of Levi junior not acting up until further notice, he returns to the house and dries his face.

In the living room, you serve a giant apfelstrudel with almonds, raisins, cream, and vanilla sauce for dinner. Daniel showcases some tap dancing afterward. Timmy’s grandpa has never seen such a thing before and tells his legs to hurry up healing so he can live the day to try this, too. As much as you want Mikasa to do another sword dance as a reprise on top of that, the furniture is simply stacked too close together in the living room. Instead, Historia rises from the table and again gives a royal order: 1000 push-ups for Levi with Timmy and you on his back. Levi, feeling mighty bullied, grits his teeth, takes the challenge, and sees the point of training himself a little. Eventually, he does 1001, conjuring many a cheer. This is Timmy’s favorite thing, and Historia smugly proceeds to spoil the three of you and the other guests with expensive presents.

Timmy gets a brand new camera to immortalize many other moments to come. Levi and Mister Weber unpack two first-class shiny training swords they are sure to use during their fencing afternoons. Historia is appalled how Levi didn’t keep anything even remotely sword-like in his house yet, what’s Humanity’s Strongest without a blade? The cadets agree and wonder why the captain has become so strangely tame and lacking in paranoia with the years. They especially shake their head over how Levi’s most vicious dagger is actually a herb knife now, and that he’s doing woodwork like an uncle. Levi shuts them up by revealing to them that the very ground they stand on he made himself, and the walls, and the roof, and the windows. Loud ‚oohs’ and ‚aahs’ follow, and Historia is obsessed with this fact. You stay silent and giggle to yourself that Levi always has his most important sword with him already and your husband doesn’t miss the little smirk.

Meanwhile, Daniel is happy to get a voucher for as much paint as he needs, as often as he needs. Mikasa receives a heavier set of dumbbells, imported from Marley — the entire setup weighs as much as ten Kaspers and awaits Mikasa in the palace because it couldn’t be transported to her home without Mikasa’s actual help. Historia doesn’t stop there. Flora Heine is handed the key to her retirement home in a palace guest house and almost falls off her chair because of it. Ben is officially promoted to become a group leader of the cadets for outstanding talent and effort. Timmy’s grandpa is admitted to the best palace doctor and the guest house right next to Flora’s. Linda pulls a giant wedding dress from her box because Historia knows Daniel has recently proposed. She caught the sunflower bouquet, after all. Kasper gets a month worth of hay, Kuchel a scratching tree. And finally, you get a permanent dock place for your boat at the harbor, lifelong payment, free meals at the seaside restaurant, they have the most delicious tarts on the island, after all. Of course, meals for two.

Historia’s flex has left the entire Christmas gathering in a frenzy. How to even reciprocate this? You reveal the customized ‚Reiss Table‘ in the bakery to her in return, and the surprise is actually huge. Historia never thought you’d bother with this and says it’s no humble setup at all unlike you thought. The mere fact that you thought about her and made a nice crown embroidery for the table is heaven, an honor. Head over heels at first sight. She adores your bakery to death, she treasures her own spot almost as intensely as Levi, and Levi really loves his table, so you can tell how excited Historia is. Soon, however, the blissed-out Queen goes outside to enter her carriage again. The annual Christmas ball in the capital is waiting. Flora and Gunther eagerly join her because they’ve never been to the palace in their entire life. Historia thinks that should be changed.

Today, Levi Ackerman is only the second-happiest man on this island. Gunther is really living it up. He wipes away a tear when Mikasa lifts him into the carriage, and thanks you for the formidable meal. He promises to tell Timmy everything he experienced later on, and is endlessly grateful to see the best doctor on this island. You wave at their departure outside, the carriage heads off. And Merry Christmas… there goes a second round for present exchanges under the tree. Beastmode Levi has lit at least twenty candles in the meantime and cleaned up the table, the kitchen, and the wrapping paper from the first present round at the speed of light, taking a mere minute. The cadets solemnly vow to never call him an uncle again.

Everything goes back and forth now. Daniel gifts Levi a giant toolbox so the captain can finally go all out. Screwdrivers, hand saws of different sizes, everything. You’re almost jealous because the present is such a perfect idea. Mister Weber gets a noise deafening device from Levi for the tractor from hell, who knows how Levi managed to find that one downtown. You bought Linda a veil to match the dress, and she’s already crying in anticipation to her wedding. Ben cleverly set aside two sacks of rye for you and Levi during the harvest — time to bake bread for New Year’s it is. Daniel gifts his captain a fancy covering sheet that can protect Kasper from rain. Linda brought along a simple card box for Kuchel to sit in. Which she eventually does all day until the cardboard wears down and Levi has to buy a new one because Kuchel is so sad about it. Sometimes, the cheapest present is the best present.

Mikasa’s gift to Levi is a book on sailing that he first huffs at given that he’s already sailing pretty well, but it turns out to be tremendously useful during repairs and planning routes. Mister Weber himself went to the boat shop lately as well and bought everything that Levi needs to maintain and update his fishing equipment. The gift you get from Mikasa is a sun blind for the porch. She singlehandedly carried it along through the snow and will assemble it the next morning together with Levi who can test out his toolbox right away. Mister Weber got you coals for the oven and some gardening equipment, seeds in particular, and you get super excited to do some more gardening in spring. On top of that, he gifts his daughter the payment for the wedding party location at the seaside restaurant. Ben surprises Mikasa with a pair of extra sturdy boots. She puts them on immediately, spins around blushing. Mikasa walks distances a normal person can’t fathom, and winter is particularly hard on her footwear.

What you gift to Levi is the thing that makes him smile the very most. Tea he already has en masse, but cleaning supplies he can always use. It’s a whole collection. A mop, a washable mask, spray bottles, detergent, cloths, disinfectant, fabric softener, brushes, a new broom. Levi ascends. He will try everything out later that evening and look like Corona’s worst enemy. His particular highlight is a handmade soap by you that smells like lavender. Everyone agrees: No wonder you’re a unit, Levi’s wife knows what she’s doing, it’s a till death do us part thing. Much anticipated is Levi’s gift to you. It turns out to be a full barbecue set. With a large cherry red centerpiece, a grill that is easy to move around. All inspiration to take your cooking to the next level explodes. Flustered husband Levi gets a big hug and goes on to reveal a second present because he’s only getting started. A full-fledged sewing machine is the next apparatus you unwrap from what is the neatest packaging you have ever seen. It’s got a wheel to turn to move the needle, and you’re fascinated. Nothing could you use more these days.

The finale takes your youngest guest tonight who drops a figurative bomb. After Flora spread enough talk about how Levi visited her and he is searching for some lost items, Timmy has caught on. Somebody took matters into his own hands. He roamed the underground for five weeks to get his hands on Kuchel’s long lost drawings and Levi almost passes out when presented with three of them. Literally, time stops. All drawings are done with coal, but an astounding precision. The paper is brittle and stained, and yet, the lines still have some contrast. One drawing shows him sitting at Kuchel’s mirror, looking at his long hair. Kuchel spent a lot of time picturing it in detail. The second drawing, on a much more worn and ripped parchment, depicts him wrapped up in a blanket and smiley, barely a few weeks old. Linda and you are cooing in unison about it. Baby Levi is so sweet. The third paper is folded and reveals toddler Levi with a cup in his little hands, inspecting it curiously. The backs of the drawings are all signed with a scraggly little phrase. You squint and decipher that it says: „Mama’s little sun“.

How fast Levi wants to store away this particular present is more than understandable. And so, you prepare the note sheets and warm up your voice. Ten minutes later, the cadets rant how Levi thinks he’s slick and a little too posh with his piano and present him with an acoustic guitar case instead. Since the whole room demands Levi to play, there he goes. It’s an understated, but clean way of plucking, and you wonder how and where he learned it. Apparently, Isabel taught him a few chords and runs. Oh lord, Levi with a guitar is a dream. The evening passes with many a story being told, many a cookie being eaten, and the cat getting petted left and right. You perform a little waltz with Levi at the fireplace and serenade him plenty. Soon, Mister Weber heads off with an increasingly sleepy Timmy who promises to tell you everything his grandpa saw at the castle tomorrow. Linda and Daniel joyously, drunkenly follow carrying the large wedding dress, joined by Mikasa and Ben who depart from the porch holding hands. Mikasa’s brand new boots leave no trace on the ground — it’s snowing again.

After another supersonic cleaning initiative in the gear you bought him, Levi tucks away Kuchel’s lost drawings with the careful hands of an archeologist. He wants to protect them from light, humidity, and dust at all cost. What Timmy found is as groundbreaking to him as the white coat, the images have burned themselves into his mind already. Another puzzle piece. Levi is happy. You store away the sewing machine hearing him hum a little. Timmy’s present really hit the bullseye. Meanwhile, you already wonder whether it’s possible to use the barbecue in winter. Apparently, it’s the latest trend in Marley. Recipes and ideas you won’t run out of, and by the beginning of April, the barbecue will be out and about at the beach anyway. You even picture the funny scenario of setting up the whole construct on the boat. The huge pillar of smoke would probably worry the harbor staff and Levi would never agree to this, but it’s funny to visualize your little boat spreading barbecue scent everywhere in the bay. Levi and Mikasa would probably have to square up against seagulls to protect their grilled potatoes.

Half an hour passes, everything is organized. Levi pouts to you about Historia’s mistletoe tactics and sensation hunger while you settle next to the kitchen oven that has a late-night dessert in it. You eat pudding together and you point out to him that Historia probably sees through your love of showing off your husband a little. A queen is there to make things official, show her power, and to promote role models. She’d be no ruler if she didn’t do a lot of proclaiming and riling for people to show their true colors. A spectacle is sometimes needed to bring everyone together and to establish the status quo. And, as evident by her fourth pay raise to Levi, she doesn’t hate him. Levi disagrees about being a role model, and not because of a false humility. You ask whether he thinks Timmy looks up to him and feels inspired to a better life because of it. Levi becomes really taciturn at that until mumbling a little ‚yeah’. 

Kuchel dozes off in her cardboard box under the Christmas tree. You’re in the mood to flirt with Levi talking about his flushed cheeks from earlier and how you noticed he went outside after the three kisses. How his shoes were suddenly wet… a guest might overlook it, but that doesn’t go unnoticed by a wife. You say that would’ve had been fast if he rubbed one out, but his neck wasn’t red, so what the hell did he do outside. Levi fondling his own neck in response tells you everything. He was horny, but the reason was trivial. „Cool off,“ is the reply, and you twirl at his bangs with an „I see“ to tease him a little more. Now that he’s been grilled and made so transparent the whole evening already, Levi gives up under your next question how turned on he really got. He’s still getting the major hots whenever you sass him in front of others, that’s how it is, he says it out loud. Well, there we have it. Looks like heicho has an even more pronounced social streak than expected. You ask him what exactly he likes about it. Levi says it’s being at your very whim.

Further, he admits that the people’s reactions to you just do something with him. He can’t explain it. Maybe it’s because he likes the thought of you and him being envied, even. He’d never say that out loud. You already understand that Levi likes to be confirmed in that he is deeply yours. He is too insecure to openly call himself a lucky guy, but others rubbing it in his face is assuring and clarifying to him. It’s an interesting thing. He knows more about your relationship through feedback this way. Sometimes, Levi needs someone mirroring things back to him. That doesn’t mean he’s entirely clueless. That he chose the right person is already a no-brainer to him. But it’s the added praise that comes through such reactions that backs him up. That Levi gets off on a sense of belonging being made crystal clear is no surprise, however. And that he looks up to you forevermore is also set in stone. Other people acknowledging that means a lot to him. He’s an absolute sucker for loyalty.

Your husband’s face is getting peppered with a lot of kisses tonight, and he gets called babe a million times. Your palms are roaming over his thighs a lot. You’re halfway through the pudding that Levi gets a little nervous, and once the bowl is empty, he says he has another present for you. Now you’re the nervous one, Levi has really been treating you today, what is next, what did he prepare. Levi is not the type to pull surprises on you, but Christmas gives him an opportunity to try different things. Because Levi can’t say such things in a loud tone as if he’s commanding a palace guard, it takes him some time to ask you to head to the bedroom and get undressed, and just sit on the duvet. He wants to ask this properly and needs a sign you really want it. Given how fast you sway out of the kitchen with a candle with a little „do your thing, heicho“ on your lips, he doesn’t have to wonder for long.

Levi, for the first time in his life, forgets that an unclean bowl is standing at the sink, and instead counts three minutes in his mind just to be sure. Half a minute later, Levi enters the bedroom with a second candle and his suit and shoes still on. He carries a dark blue box, maybe two palms long and one wide, that he places before you after closing the door. While you begin to pry the top open, Levi shifts from foot to foot almost unnoticeably. The only time he ever does that is when he goes on a limb. Risk and doing anything unsolicited is something he hates, his posture is as firm as the island’s cliffs in most other cases because of that. What you find in the box explains everything. A set of black lingerie. You know that Levi has a complicated relationship with it and you don’t wear any. He nevertheless figured that lace goes well with lace and he is correct.

„Liking it?“

„We’re not running out of things to try.“

„Tell me what to do.“

„Come here. You put it on me with your teeth.“

And Levi does. Taking it off with teeth is easy. Putting it on with teeth is an Ackerman challenge. But as you know him, Levi is compelled to carry out any difficult order. How his hair falls forward and tickles your skin while he’s preoccupied with the task is sexy. What arouses you even more though is Levi’s effort. The panties come on rather quick and not one awkward movement. Even the bra he manages to close with a complicated method of holding everything in place with his chin, nose, and forehead at the same time. The set turns out to look really tasteful rather than gaudy or too much. It’s comfortable at the hip and rib as well. Perfectly fitted, overall. Levi showing up with a tattoo of your measurements next is something not entirely implausible.

Levi’s blue balls go through at least ten minutes of cleavage suffocation, you sitting on his face with the panties still on, rubbing yourself against his suit from any possible angle, riding his thighs, and burying his face a little more between your breasts and legs for good measure. He gets toyed with, he gets bent around, he has his hair pulled, and you get off on just how hot the captain is when he keeps his shoes on. Your particular favorite thing is splaying him out on his belly to tickle his sides and to grab all that butt in his pants. In which he fears he will cum in if you go on like that. Good lord, the laundry of tomorrow. He aches for touch but you admit him to zip open his trousers and that’s it. Levi has to fuck you in his full wedding suit and you want to pinch yourself for not having done so earlier. Naked sex is nice. But have you ever gotten Levi’s dick while he’s fully clothed? That’s a different experience.

Levi fucks out of this world that way. Less reserved and cautious, more emotional, but also more accurate. His concentration is sharper, his esteem higher. Someone obsessed with protective sex surely doesn’t mind full coverage. Levi is so hungry in that state, he moans all over the place, and spills at least fifty curses in a row when he enters you from behind with your panties pulled to the side. Levi has a schtick with doggy style, it’s good for his height and places, allows, sucks him in him so deep. He’s grabbing at your waist all desperately until he has to pull out. Two more thrusts and he would fill up that condom like its Santa’s goddamn sock. But yes, Levi’s been a good boy who can control himself. As a reward, you smack him up. Levi makes all sorts of porny faces when he gets his favorite dose of slaps, and salivate is all he does. I don’t have to tell you how hot he looks with his eyes rolling back and he’s begging you to do it harder.

Pulling your soaking panties down for a bit, you put his throbbing dick on pause so he can eat your ass soon after. More opportunities to take his breath, more opportunities to bounce on his face. He could just starfish this and make you cum with his tongue in your ass alone. Poor Levi’s tiny face disappears entirely, and his dick twitches with every time you gyrate back and forth. For even more fun, you let him suck your toes and continue fucking the shit out of his cock. At one point, you don’t care anymore, and make him cum mid-ride without stopping afterwards. Two minutes after his orgasm, you’re still moving fast. Levi is going crazy and screams. He didn’t get a pounding like this one yet. When you pull off, he is breathing hard, but not for long because you shove your wet pussy in his face to slurp on like his life depends on it. 

If that’s not enough, you resort to choking your Christmas boy, and his boner magically resurrects. Second condom of tonight here we go. You rub him between your breasts to make him even more sensitive, and scratch your nails along the underside of his shaft. On you go jerking him off and bouncing on him, no mercy. He doesn’t even have enough jizz for the next cum shot. If there’s one way to make his brain erode, it’s this. Oh my god, he will give you all the suffer faces. Your thrusts are too hot’n’heavy to handle in a condition like that. He knows even his dick could break off. Levi is getting a full destruction for tonight, you bet your new bra he’ll need a strong cup of tea afterwards. The cycle goes on and on. Your new lingerie has had a blast of a first night. Levi gets to enjoy getting ruined for 30 more minutes until you cum right on his open mouth.

You keep the aftercare short because Levi has not once in his life been this sleepy. Titans can’t tire him out, brats can’t, cleaning can’t, being turned into a real life snowman can’t… tiddies can. Who would have thought. Oppai exhaustion. The Lionel Messi or Paradis Island. Physical affection is the only thing that can realistically wear his energy because of a certain romantic overwhelm. He’s not used to it from his early days, his brain is never truly ready for emotion, plus he’s not getting any from most other people because they keep their distance (although that has changed as of recently, little Timmy is very touchy with Papa Levi as he calls him). Your scent has a calming effect on him in general. Duh, tea. And bread, and bakery. It’s interesting that these things have such a sedative power and have him lying there with his mouth hanging open and the eyes half-closed.

He speaks in fragments and mh-noises, but one thing you can understand, he wants all the caressing. Levi’s not doing baby grabby hands, it’s more of a rolling in the sheets until he can park his face against something soft and moving. He gets his favorite drink first so he stays hydrated, you wipe him off because it’s a law of this land, and then go ahead with the head pats. Mumbling is all that follows from him, and you doubt he really feels you removing his suit except the underwear. Someone’s drifted off to the dreamland. After all tension in Levi’s body has dissolved naturally after fifteen minutes, and he rolls into the pillow of his side of the bed, you get up. The suit and lingerie you store in the wardrobe and throw over a nightdress. You topple to the kitchen to chug at least half a liter of water because oh fuck. Levi sleeps soundly and later rolls close once again, snuggling into your dress. It’s surprising how cuddly he can be. He just rests there with a relaxed expression.

The morning starts with the bells from Reiss Chapel. It’s quite a spectacle to hear. No work today, the whole island is with their family and relatives. Christmas breakfast consists of freshly made rye bread and Levi making a small pot of porridge for two, with some cinnamon sprinkled on top of it. Unlike you always doing things by eye, he’s prepared it with measuring spoons and the accuracy of a surgeon, nothing is spilled on the stove. Kuchel swishes back and forth around Levi’s legs in and eight-shaped trail while you’re eating. Half an hour later, he clears the snow from the house entrance area while you are sewing mittens for Linda. Gotta have a marriage present ready. Levi drops into the garden house at 9:30 to make sure it’s warm enough in there, pops a little plate with lavender cookies on your sewing table trying to act all stern about it, and vanishes to the barn.

Kasper has a Christmas-worthy hay meal and gets permission to affectionately lick the captain’s face for once. Normally, it’s off-limits and the hand will do. The way he woke up with you nuzzling his hair in your sleep makes Levi very appreciative that he found someone he loves as much as he loves horses. Which, if you know him, is the highest bar, the top tier league, his sublime favorites. And, vice versa, having found someone who loves him as much as animals do. Timmy drops by around 10 and gives a word spill on his grandpa’s marvelous adventures at the Christmas ball. Buffet sandwiches galore, dance, theatre, acrobatics, lush interiors, so many people! He’s never been happier to visit a new place. Historia’s doctors are attending to his legs as he speaks. Flora and him have started to move into their guest houses, inviting friends in the Underground for a moving-in-party. Since Mister Weber ingeniously used the tractor from hell as a taxi, Levi has been wondering whether some kind of public transport is possible from the city to the upper ground. He’ll ask Historia about it at the next opportunity.

You remark how nice such a way of retiring is for Gunther and Flora and you wish Levi would’ve been able to escape the dark city this way when it was as dangerous as it was back then. Levi retorts that he has no way of complaining. Since, in his eyes, he has an even better retirement home than the one at the capital. Somebody else might enjoy it in the palace, but this is how it works the best for him. Not because it is humble, but because it makes him feel good. To gold-framed paintings needed. There are a lot of photographies of Timmy to be put up in your house. Levi doesn’t regret having been a soldier in the survey corps. It was necessary to get him to this very place if you think about it. Lot of time to realize his priorities. Sorting it out like he never did before, he has the freedom now, he’s giving it to himself first and foremost.

So that at this point, Levi’s not down to making rigged compromises anymore. No lesser evils, no bullshit. That desperation is long gone. It’s resolved with every cupcake you gave him. Everything works the way it suits him and he can rely on others. People who stick around, because this is the peaceful environment Levi needs to feel the innate yearning for safety he’s had all along. That he managed to pull himself out of the mud of the war with the help of your presence gives him a profound motivation to keep it up and strive further. He might have to put up with a snowball battle defeat by the hands I mean paws of a cat, but that’s about it. There’s nothing he has to tolerate if he lives like this, nothing to bear, nothing to grieve. Levi stands his ground with these things because he has a reason and that is you.

It can be called Paradis Island with good reason now. I mean it. It didn’t look like it had that kind of potential, but Levi knows of the blessing that’s right before his eyes and still works hard to constantly upgrade the house and his ways of affection. He looks up to you and is forever grateful that you waited for his return. He is good to you and good for you. Your life is in perfect order. He has a great fencing blade collection but he doesn’t lose sight of the essence now. Levi doesn’t need tragedy to have a reason to be close to someone. Now, he can do it just because. He still wants to be the husband who wraps his cape around you in winter or on a rainy day, and wraps his arms around you in July when your summer dress ripples in the wind on the porch. 

He’s thankful for the little things, the conversations, or when you bake him the most exquisite delicacies. Cherry pies, brownies, truffles, sponge cake, fudge, custard tarts, cookies, cinnamon buns, scones and candied apples. What more could you want to go with your cup of tea? Except a kiss, of course. Levi deserves gaining a pound or two — imagine the cute cheeks — and having a little paradise here. Down the line, the pendulum always swings back again. With you, he has no life he needs to cope with. He doesn’t hate himself or others. He can be happy just because. Levi is headed toward an actual old age — yes, even Mikasa admits he’s far from a stupid geezer these days — where he will die a more fulfilled man than he could ever imagine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one (1) author was harmed during the making of this, i cried my way through 5 tissues smh heicho and his happy end are giving me feels :/


End file.
